According to the publication of GameSpark Japan, Sony is asking developers to remove violent depictions in games, especially dismemberments.
The information came through Cyberconnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama, who needed to make adjustments to Naruto Ultimate. In the game, the 4th Hokage was without an arm in the original story, however, in the final game, his arm was present to comply with Sony’s policies.
The CEO also mentions that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has a sequence in which Tenshinhan’s arm is dismembered by Nappa . Surprisingly, this was not missing from the game because there is a difference in presentation – which is less “realistic” than in Naruto Ultimate.
Loss of limbs in humanoid-looking characters it was not allowed by SIE, explains Matsuyama. The Japanese rating agency, CERO, was also against such representations in human silhouettes.
Games like The Last of Us Part II and the remake of Resident Evil 2 are good examples of extreme violence with dismemberments. Taking these titles (and many others) into account, Sony’s position is quite curious.
The agenda is frequently discussed in several areas, especially if games should or not having lower levels of violence to make them accessible to a wider audience.
According to Media Molecule, Sony does not interfere with the work of the studios
According to Media Molecule (developer of Dreams), Sony has a very positive reputation between the studios. The company does not interfere in the work of the developers and gives them complete freedom of creation. However, the statement goes against the information discussed above.
It is worth noting that, Perhaps , Japanese SIE policies may differ from the Western branch. Just speculation, but it makes sense to think from that point of view.