Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Publisher Top Hat Studios Rejects Censorship Requirements Due to Death Threats and Harassment.
Since the announcement of the release ofSense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story on the Nintendo Switch, publisher Top Hat Studios received an astonishing amount of messages claiming that the studio should censor its latest title. Top Hat Studios’ response to these claims? “The game will not be censored. We absolutely refuse it. ”
Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is a horror game set in neo Hong Kong in 2083 and released on Steam on August 25, 2020, with mostly positive reviews. Shortly after announcing plans to transfer the game to the Nintendo Switch, the sensory demands of the outraged consumers were met by the publishers. While Japanese games like the Final Fantasy 8 Remaster Top Hat Studios often faced censorship in some way prior to their Western release. In an official statement on Twitter, his stance against censorship is made clear.
Despite threats ranging from revision bomb attack and distributors harassing, Top Hat Studios responded by defending the creative freedoms of its developers to protect the integrity of its titles. The vocal group trying to intimidate the publisher made a variety of seemingly unfounded allegations. Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story includes that the game is explicitly ‘pornographic’, ‘encourages violence’ and ‘violates the law’.
Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story received an M (17 +) / PEGI 18 rating for seemingly minor offenses that anyone could find in a PG-13 movie: blood and blood vessels, intense violence, suggestive themes, and language. Top Hat Studios’ sci-fi survival horror game draws inspiration from transhumanism, dystopian themes that other cyberpunk titles like Cyberpunk 2077 is loved for.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING CALLS CLAIMING CENSORS – 的 的 预感: A CYBERPUNK GHOST STORY
Our commitment to our audience and developers is that we will never infringe on creative freedom or expression. pic.twitter.com/VV5IcGbJ7P
– Top Hat Studios, Inc. (@TopHatStudiosEN) 1 January 2021
Censorship has become a much-discussed topic among fans and developers over the past few years. There are those who view censorship as detrimental to creativity and experimentation among developers, while others like it Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy producer Junzo Hosoi considers it a useful tool that can fit titles in every market.
Before the setback, New York-based Top Hat Studios has received nothing but support for its haunting adventure since the successful Kickstarter campaign in 2018. Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story follows Mei Lin Mak as she tries to solve a century-old mystery hidden within the ruins of the Chong Sing Apartments. Players are tasked with casting out demons, rather than fighting them, in an effort to help them pass on while exploring a supernatural maelstrom of Chinese folklore. The Kickstarter campaign reached its $ 10,000 funding goal in just 30 days and received $ 60,027 from more than 1,000 supporters.
Revision bomb attack has resulted in considerable negative feedback for major IPs. Monster Hunter World was a recent target of review bombs due to a racist joke included in the new Monster Hunter Movie. Despite the development of Capcom who had no involvement with the film, the Steam score of the title suffered as a result. Hopefully the community around Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story strong enough to resist any attempt to attack the title unfairly.
Sense – A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is currently available on Steam and will be released for the Nintendo Switch on January 7th.
