Baldur’s Gate 3known for its sex and violence scenes, will be subject to censorship in its Japanese version.
Developer Spike Chunsoft, responsible for bringing the game to Japan, announced that it had to make adjustments to the RPG to comply with CERO code of conduct regulations.
Understanding the issue
CERO, which acts in a similar way to the ESRB in the United States and the Ministry of Justice in Brazil, defines banned expressions that can prevent games from being sold on large networks.
This led the company to remove content that would be considered too explicit.
In practice, the Japanese version of “Baldur’s Gate 3” will not feature genitals, nude scenes or sexual scenes.
While some of these options can be enabled or disabled in existing versions, they will be disabled in the Japanese release of the game.
Scene from ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ – Image: Larian Studios/Reproduction
Additionally, Larian Studios will be required to remove at least one torture scene that occurs in the opening moments of the game.
Despite the censorship, the game will maintain its CERO Z rating, the highest, reserved for games aimed at mature audiences.
According to CERO’s code of conduct, it is strictly prohibited for any game to contain genitals or scenes of sexual activity, regardless of their nature.
These changes in Baldur’s Gate 3 follow the same lines as several other renowned titles that have faced similar challenges in being sold in the Japanese market.
In the past, games like “The Last of Us“, “The Witcher 3” and “Cyberpunk 2077” also underwent adaptations to comply with Japanese regulations.
These restrictions aim to keep Japanese culture and entertainment standards in line with local traditions and ensure that games do not violate content standards.
At the end of the day, the CERO age rating aims to protect children and teenagers from inappropriate content.
Therefore, many games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and the others mentioned, undergo adaptations to comply with these guidelines.
