An executive of Electronic Arts Japan has criticised the Japanese video game ratings board for allowing upcoming action game Stellar Blade to be released uncensored while EA’s own Dead Space was banned in the country.
In posts on X/Twitter, EA Japan general manager Shaun Noguchi questioned the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) for allegedly banning horror game Dead Space over features he claimed also appear in Stellar Blade.
“What’s going on CERO?,” Noguchi asked in the post, translated by Automaton. “The Stellar Blade demo was really fun and absolutely action packed. However, CERO, you denied our Dead Space a rating because it included cross-sections of severed body parts and internal organs, but here we have both cross-sections and insides on display passed off with a CERO D rating. I find this hard to accept.”
A CERO D rating allows anyone aged 17 and over to purchase the game and is the second strictest rating in Japan, behind only the Z rating intended for those aged 18 and over. Dead Space was reviewed and granted no rating by CERO, meaning it is unavailable for sale in Japan, at least officially.
Noguchi’s comments come after a post from the official Stellar Blade X/Twitter account, which confirmed every version of the South Korean developed game, including the Japanese version, would come uncensored. Noguchi made clear he wasn’t criticising Stellar Blade itself but CERO, however, even recommending people buy it.
Stellar Blade brings its sci-fi action and adventure exclusively to PlayStation 5 on April 26, with its inspirations including Alita: Battle Angel, 80s and 90s science fiction, and a taxi driver strike according to director Kim Hyung Tae.
“While the depth of its exploration remains to be seen, Stellar Blade’s action alone was more than enough to get us excited,” IGN said in our preview of the game.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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