As Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered nears its October release, criticism targeting Japan's CERO age rating board continues, as the franchise's creators express their frustration over the remastered's censorship in the country.
Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Rebukes Shadows Of The Damned's Censorship
Japan's CERO Board Get Flak Once Again
Shadows Of The Damned producer and writer duo Suda51 and Shinji Mikami have expressed their frustration with their home country of Japan's age rating board, CERO, particularly in response to the censored console release of Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered. In a recent interview with Japanese gaming news site GameSpark, the two openly criticized the restrictions imposed by CERO, calling into question the decision-making process behind these regulations.
Suda51, known for his work on titles like Killer7 and the No More Heroes series, confirmed to GameSpark that the upcoming remaster of Shadows of the Damned had to be censored for its release on Japanese consoles. "We had to prepare two versions of the game, which is a real challenge," he said. "In remastering the game, we had to develop two versions at the same time, which had a tremendous impact on our workload and extended the development period."
Co-creator Shinji Mikami, best known for working on renowned mature-rated games such as Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and God Hand, was disheartened by CERO’s approach, arguing that the board is out of touch with today's gaming community. "I think it's a strange situation for people who don't play games to try to censor these works and prevent players from enjoying what the game has to offer in its entirety, even though there are players who want to enjoy these 'edgy' games."
CERO’s rating system includes classifications such as CERO D, for games suitable only for audiences 17 and older, and CERO Z, for games restricted to those 18 and older. The first installment in the Resident Evil series, helmed by Mikami, pioneered the horror genre and contained graphic and gruesome content. Its remake, released in 2015, maintains this "signature" gore and horror elements of the series and has been rated with the Z rating by the CERO board due to its nature.
Suda51 questioned the purpose of these restrictions. "If regional restrictions are imposed, we have no choice but to deal with them as part of our job, but I always wonder what the people [and fans] who'll play the game think." He added: "What is the purpose of these restrictions? Who are these restrictions aimed at? At the very least, I feel that they are not aimed at the customers who play the game."
This is not the first time CERO has faced criticism for its rating practices. Back in April, amid the release of Stellar Blade, EA Japan General Manager Shaun Noguchi voiced his concerns about the board’s inconsistencies. He pointed out the discrepancy between CERO’s decision to approve Stellar Blade with a CERO D (17+) rating while rejecting EA’s survival horror game Dead Space.
