You may or may not be surprised to learn that in recent years (as of 2009) violent videogames have a hard time getting released Japan. When I say “released” I mean mainstream retail distribution. Personally, I was surprised and have seen overseas developers frustrated by it so I spoke with some local Japanese developers about the issue.
The common Western view is that other media in Japan – comics and anime cartoons in particular – are often extremely violent. So why can’t violent games be released? The last violent big budget game I shipped, Conan, did receive a Japanese release but with huge concessions and changes from the US release. The core gameplay feature was the combat system and a big part of the reward system built into it for the player was seeing Conan dispose of his enemies in an over the top way. We had to tone down the violence significantly right at the end of development to appease the Japanese game rating board, CERO, to receive an unrestricted release.
Of course I understand each country has a different culture and what is acceptable to one is off limits in another. The take away lesson for me, and what hurt the game, was that this was changed fairly late in development after the violence was already a key feature. Focusing on over the top gore and violence rewards in a game you intend to release in Japan (and Germany) is not a good focus of resources as those features will have to be reduced or cut hurting the core functionality of the game in the process.
When I asked the local developers about the issue they said that the restrictions have been slowly becoming more and more strict from around 1999 onward. Slowly and surely the criteria for getting rated CERO Z (restricted release, 18 and up only) are growing wider and wider. Publishers often wont bother releasing a game if it is expected to receive a Z rating. It is not quite the kiss of death that getting an Adults Only rating in the US is, which basically guarantees not being carried by any retail stores, but understandably publishers want games to reach the widest market possible for the highest sales potential.
But still – why the disparity between games and other media? The local developers think it has to do with the scrutiny the different media sources receive. As much as Japan is known for anime, in recent times games are much more in the forefront of day to day life. Nintendo advertises prominently in Harajuku station using an extremely popular fashion model (”Ebi-chan“). I can’t even remember the last time I saw anything anime being advertised in Tokyo outside of Akihabara or during television commercial breaks during the equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons. I see a lot more people playing DS and PSP on the train than I see reading comic books.
If that is the case then it is not surprising. The more public exposure a media generates the more independent parties are interested in it and the more politics enter into the equation. The bottom line is that as developers, if you want to have a prominent and wide release in Japan, focusing on violence as a core feature of your game is illadvised.
