XSEED has announced that the upcoming Senran Kagura Burst remake, Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal, will be censored in the West on the PlayStation 4.
Specifically, the PS4 version’s interactive “Intimacy Mode” will be getting the cut and the game will also be “slightly delayed” as a result.
— XSEED Games (@XSEEDGames) October 13, 2018
Thankfully, XSEED made no illusions about who was responsible for this decision, stating in a followup tweet that it is “respecting the wishes of the platform holder” — a clear indicator that Sony was the one who “requested” Intimacy Mode be removed.
We respect the wishes of the platform holder.
— XSEED Games (@XSEEDGames) October 13, 2018
Needless to say, this is a troubling turn of events; not just for Senran Kagura, but also for the PlayStation as a platform.
For Senran Kagura, Intimacy Mode (it formally got the name in Peach Beach Splash) has been something of a staple of the series since its inception back in 2011. It has always been an optional portion of the game, but it always helped to give the games an added sense of charm beyond what the gameplay and story provides.
Meanwhile, this latest move is a clear indicator that Sony has fully embraced censorship in all its rotten glory. Whereas Nintendo — a company that focuses on providing entertainment to whole families — has allowed Senran Kagura Reflexions (which is basically Intmacy Mode: The Game) to remain on the Switch uncensored, Sony has seemingly regressed, having “requested” the censorship of both this title and Omega Labyrinth Z earlier this year.
The only bright side (if you can even call it that), is that the PC version of Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal will be untouched (presumably due to Valve deciding to not police the content of the games sold on its storefront as long as it’s not illegal), but will be delayed to have the same release date as the PS4 version. Unfortunately, we still don’t know when that date is.
So there you have it. The PlayStation is the kiddie system now — save for the guns, gore and violence Sony apparently has no issue with.
