Shaun Noguchi, EA Japan’s general manager, has taken to X/Twitter to complain about CERO after learning that the Japanese video game ratings board had given Stellar Blade a CERO D rating, allowing it to be released in the country without any censorship despite some of its gore, which, based on screenshots that have been shared online, appears to include severed body parts and internal organs. Noguchi explained why he had a problem with this, pointing out that the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization had denied Dead Space a CERO rating for featuring the very same content, resulting in console versions of the game being canceled in Japan.
Noguchi said:
- “What’s going on CERO? The Stellar Blade’s 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…”
Some samples of the gore that passed CERO:
Developer Shift Up confirming that the game will be uncensored everywhere:
「Stellar Blade」 offers the same uncensored version in all countries, including the Japanese version.
— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) April 21, 2024
ステラブレードは、日本版を含むすべての国で検閲されていない同じバージョンを提供しています。#StellarBlade #PS5 #Uncensored pic.twitter.com/dJojSgZH9y
A new video showing off the Burst Skills in the game:
A description for the PS5 exclusive:
The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure on PlayStation 5. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space.