Ubisoft recently came under fire in Japan for censoring blood in the country’s version of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which the developer initially blamed on Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO). However, the rating body denied that it had any involvement in the censorship, leading Ubisoft to issue a “heartfelt” apology for apparently making a mistake.
As reported by Kotaku, the issue came to light when Japanese players noticed a lack of blood effects in Valhalla even though the in-game menu did contain an option to turn blood on, which didn’t work. Considering the option was present, players thought it was a glitch, but was surprised when Ubisoft claimed that it was forced to remove blood in order for Valhalla to be rated in Japan, and that the action was taken “in consultation with the related organization.” However, CERO claimed in an official statement that “we had nothing to do with this and that we have absolutely not been contacted whatsoever or received a request for a meeting regarding this issue.”
Both Valhalla and Ubisoft have since been panned by players, with some calling the game a “scam.” As CERO’s statement made rounds, the developer issued an apology and claimed that the missing blood was the result of “a problem within the company.” Ubisoft has promised to investigate the issue and report back in due course.
It’s possible that Ubisoft preemptively censored blood, but why it released a statement claiming it consulted relevant authorities is anybody’s guess. As for the blood effects, they will likely be restored with a patch.
[Source: Kotaku]