Assassin’s Creed Shadows censored in Japan

Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (AKA CERO) has slapped Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows with a Z rating, which is basically the ESRB’s AO. Of course, Ubisoft still wants to sell the game in Japan, so it’s playing ball and dashing the content CERO demands be dashed.

Preemptively, the Japanese Ubisoft account took to Twitter (via Eurogamer) to address any differences between versions.

“Regarding differences in content between the overseas (North America, Europe) and Japanese versions of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, the version sold in Japan of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows (CERO: Z) will have some differences in in-game content in order to comply with the regulations of the certification organization.”

So, what is CERO bothered by? Assassin’s Creed Shadows will allow a more intense level of violence, including decapitation. The trouble is things are kinda murky when it comes to actually remaining consistent. Stellar Blade, for example, caught flack as it remained uncensored despite severed limbs; something Dead Space Remake wasn’t able to get away with.

Gabriel Stanford-Reisinger Editor-in-Chief

Gabe has been a gamer since he was young, playing games like Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, Guitar Hero, and whatever looked cool on GameFly. Ever since 2018, he's been infatuated with the inner workings of the gaming and entertainment industries, covering a wide range of topics from video games to TV and film. Starting as a contributor for PSX Extreme, he's worked his way up to its Managing Editor. Using what's he learned over the years, he founded Smash Jump to remind everyone to smash jump.