Dec 092016
Yesterday, Bandai Namco revealed the pre-order bonuses for Tales of Berseria, announced a demo for January 10, and showed English footage of the game’s beginning for the first time.
This sparked controversy.
I have not included the video here, since one scene could be considered a spoiler, if an early one. What caused the controversy is that it is a violent scene, and the violence has been altered from the Japanese version.
(It’s still violent, just magical, less personal violence. Some people argue the localized version actually looks more brutal.)
People exploded over the censorship, some decided not to buy Berseria, and many questioned whether the game’s other dark content might be similarly altered.
Well, Bandai Namco has responded to the concerns. In short, they couldn’t have kept their 16/T rating if the scene was left unaltered. (Although this refers to the European rating specifically, they also took the ESRB into account.)
While it might seem extreme that one moment could push it over the edge, the nature of the scene makes it likely.
I know, some of you are thinking, “Then release it as an M-rated game!” From Bandai Namco’s perspective, that would cut out a large chunk of their audience. It also would have affected their marketing. They made the decision to alter the scene just enough to get it through.
They went on to clarify that the scene’s importance and consequences remain the same, and that this is the only scene that has been altered. No other Berseria content has been censored.
I don’t see it as a problem, and I understand Bandai Namco’s position. And I say this as a writer–you can make adjustments and minor changes without sacrificing the vision of the artist who created it.
Anyway, if you’ve heard whispers of a Tales of Berseria censorship controversy, that’s what it’s all about. Meanwhile, you can look forward to a Berseria demo for both Steam and the PS4 on January 10.
If you preorder the game, you’ll get an exclusive 15-minute skit. PS4 players will also get an exclusive Berseria theme and 3 songs from the soundtrack. Steam players will get 10% off if you own Symphonia or Zestiria on Steam.
Are you planning to buy Tales of Berseria? What do you think about the altered scene?
As usual, “fans” make a ruckus over nothing.
Bandai wants to avoid what happened to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Dual Destinies, which empirically lowered its sales numbers because it cut out a portion of the fanbase for a long time.
Yeah, some people are trying to insist that since some kids buy M-rated games anyway, an M-rated Tales of Berseria wouldn’t hurt its sales… but I think it would. Bandai Namco also pointed out that if the game was rated M, they wouldn’t be able to market it as freely, which could further damage sales.
I think you’re right and “some people” are clueless.
And, as we know from Ace Attorney, it really is entirely possible that ONE SCENE can change a game’s ESRB rating.
Looking at your spoiler, it’s not like the whole person’s character or personality was changed or anything, which is what some people like to complain about in localisation.
Exactly.
And while the altered version makes it less personal and maybe less brutal, the result–Velvet wanting revenge against Artorius–is the same no matter how the incident looks.