The Callisto Protocol Canceled In Japan To Avoid Censoring Content

The Callisto Protocol will not be released in Japan due to the game failing to receive a rating in Japan, presumably due to its violence and gore. The studio said via its Japanese Twitter account that the localized version for Japan will be discontinued and that anyone who preordered will get a refund.

"We have determined that the game cannot pass the CERO rating in its current state and that changing the content will not provide the experience that players expect. We would appreciate your understanding in Japan," the studio said in the tweet, translated by VGC.

Reading between the lines here, it sounds like the developers at Striking Distance did not want to edit their game to pass the CERO rating, so it opted against releasing it entirely. As VGC reminds us, games in the Gears of War, GTA, and Call of Duty franchises have been edited for release in Japan over the years. A comparison video for Until Dawn shows the heavy edits the team made to help the game pass CERO in Japan.

Dr. Serkan Toto from Japan's Kantan Games Inc. mentioned in a tweet that CERO has become "stricter and stricter" over the years.

The Callisto Protocol takes place in a prison on one of Jupiter's moons, Callisto. The game promises to be extremely violent and gory. In fact, Striking Dance boss Glen Schofield said the development team looked at grisly car crash scenes for inspiration.

The game also uses haptic feedback in some ways, including helping the player "feel" a bone breaking. "Snapping a bone, that sort of thing, you want to feel that..." he said. Players are expected to die again and again in all manner of different ways in The Callisto Protocol.

The Callisto Protocol launches on December 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game could spawn a sequel, as Schofield has said he has ideas for additional entries in the series.

In other news, Striking Distance has confirmed that The Callisto Protocol will have a 60fps mode, a piece of news the studio shared after the developers of Gotham Knights confirmed the game is capped at 30fps.