The Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will have less steamy content than its overseas counterpart when it releases there on Dec. 21.
Spike Chunsoft, which is publishing the Japanese version, announced they’re cutting explicit sexual content from the Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 so that it is in compliance with CERO’s Code of Ethics standards regarding “banned expressions.” This means that Japanese players won’t be able to enable explicit content in the options menu, including “display of genitals,” “display of nudity in cutscenes,” and “view sex scenes.” To be clear, nudity can currently be toggled off in other versions of the game – the Japanese release will just be fixed in the “off” position.
Spike Chunsoft’s announcement also says that the Japan release will remove the option for players to torture NPCs in Act 1’s Goblin Camp.
Despite CERO giving Baldur’s Gate 3 a Z rating — which is essentially the equivalent of an M rating from the ESRB — Larian made all these changes to comply with Appendix 3 of CERO’s Code of Ethics, which states that the expression of genitals and sexual intercourse, among other things, is strictly prohibited.
It is, of course, not uncommon for games to be censored for nudity and violence when they release in Japan, including The Last of Us, The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and a whole lot more. Still, considering Baldur’s Gate 3 is a notoriously horny game, it might be a little disappointing for some.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.