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The upcoming survival horror game The Callisto Protocol has had its release in Japan canceled due to a dispute with the Japanese Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation (CERO).
According to the game’s official Japanese Twitter account, this is because CERO insisted that much of the gore in the game be censored in order for it to be released in Japan.
The developers have decided to cancel the release in the region as opposed to making the changes.
— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoGameJP) October 26, 2022
“The Callisto Protocol’s Japanese version has been discontinued. At present, it cannot pass the CERO rating, and if we change the content, we will not be able to provide the experience that the player expects. We will provide a refund for those that have pre-ordered the game.”
The CERO rating board is infamously known for restricting games that feature heavy amounts of gore. Features such as bodily dismemberment or disembowelment are not allowed, even with the highest ‘Z’ (18+) rating. This means that games like Resident Evil are regularly censored in Japan in order to pass these ratings. As for the Callisto Protocol, it seems Japanese fans that wish to play it will have to import it from other regions.
The Callisto Protocol is a survival horror game developed by Striking Distance Studios, a team consisting of many former Dead Space developers. The game was actually supposed to take place in the same universe as PUBG but later separated into its own world.
The game follows Jacob Lee, a prisoner held at the Black Iron Space Colony Prison in the year 2320. The prison is invaded by a dangerous alien race that has seemingly been engineered by the prison warden.
The Callisto Protocol will launch on the 2nd of December for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with the exception of Japan.
