The Callisto Protocol is too violent to launch in Japan

From what we’ve seen of The Callisto Protocol, it’s looking to be a very gory game. It even manages to make the Dead Space series seem tame in some areas. With Dead Space creator Glen Schofield heading the title, this makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, that can be a tough sell in some countries. In fact, it’s looking like The Callisto Protocol won’t be able to launch in Japan. Games often have to undergo censorship or editing before their Japanese release, but surprising, The Callisto Protocol‘s developer does not want to make any changes to the game.

The tweet announcing this decision clarified the situation a little more. It states that The Callisto Protocol cannot pass the CERO rating in Japan and that changing the content of the game won’t provide the expected experience. Any players in Japan that purchased the title should receive refunds, as well.

Gamers in Japan can’t play The Callisto Protocol

The CERO rating in Japan is notorious for being strict with explicit content. In fact, titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Grand Theft Auto V, and other such games get censored quite heavily. This even applies to Japanese-made games like Resident Evil, which are usually far less gory than their western releases. This is surely annoying for players in Japan who want to experience the original game. Luckily, in most cases, they can still experience these titles, albeit with censored content. But then we have situations like this where The Callisto Protocol simply doesn’t launch in Japan at all.

There could be a small chance that The Callisto Protocol launches in Japan in the future. However, judging from the game’s content and the reluctance of the developer to change it, it’s unlikely. Japan rarely bans games, even though its rating system is so strict. But with The Callisto Protocol‘s approach to horror, it seemed inevitable. For everywhere else, The Callisto Protocol releases on December 2.