Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be censored in Japan

A new report shows that Cyberpunk 2077, the highly-anticipated new release from CD Projekt Red, will be heavily censored in Japan.

This report originates from Australian press outlet Press Start, and goes into detail about several changes that will appear in the Japanese version of Cyberpunk 2077. These changes will primarily address the sexually explicit content, as well as the extreme violence that can be found in parts of the game.

One example of censorship is with nudity. In most other versions of the game, characters will appear in the character creation screen, and possibly elsewhere, completely naked. However, in the Japanese version of the game, all characters will wear underwear at the very least. This extends even to billboards that would normally have naked characters on in the game, and even sexually explicit graffiti.

Cyberpunk 2077 does allow for some level of genital customisation, but this won’t be available to see at all since every instance of a naked character will now be wearing underwear.

The game’s ESRB rating mentions that CD Projekt Red will revise sexually explicit content for the Japanese version of the game. While this is rather vague, it could include the genital customisation options too.

When it comes to violence, the game will be revised to remove the more gruesome representations. These include limbs being severed, and any exposed guts that may be on show at some point.

While Australia’s ratings board is usually just as strict with games, the Australian version of Cyberpunk 2077 will not be censored at all. The game will include everything that other versions have, and is rated as an R18+.

Cyberpunk 2077 was due to release in September, and now launches on November 19, 2020. This is just the latest delay for the game, and puts it extremely close to the launch of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

However, the game will be available to play on next-gen consoles, either through Microsoft’s Smart Delivery service, or Sony’s equivalent program, which publishers need to sign up for if they want to participate.