Shift Up’s recent statement regarding Stellar Blade censorship status has drawn the ire of Dead Space remake‘s Japan team. Shift Up confirmed that its PS5 exclusive will not be censored in any region including Japan, puzzling Electronic Arts Japan’s general manager, Shaun Noguchi. Dead Space remake was banned by Japanese rating board CERO.
Stellar Blade censorship update draws attention to Japanese rating board’s ‘vagueness,’ says EA
As spotted and translated by Automaton, Noguchi took to X to point out that part of the reason Dead Space was denied a rating in Japan was its depiction of “severed body parts and internal organs.” However, Stellar Blade includes the same content and received a CERO D rating (ages 17 and up). On the other hand, Dead Space wasn’t even awarded a CERO Z rating (18 and up). The game was banned outright.
In a follow-up tweet, Noguchi stressed that he’s by no means criticizing Stellar Blade or taking a swing at its devs. He added that he personally enjoyed the demo and encouraged his followers to buy the full game. Noguchi added that he’s vexed by the vagueness of CERO’s review process.
CERO is known for being strict. The authority routinely bans and censors games for a variety of reasons.
