Sony’s Attempt at Creating its Own Sekiro Backfires, 1 Nation Has Already Banned it Ahead of Release

Sony is working very hard at bringing some of the most distinguished games to its platform. Previously, they had already brought games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Spider-Man 2 to PlayStation 5, and in the near future, fans can expect incredible games like Silent Hill 2 Remake, Stellar Blade, and Rise of the Ronin to be released.

Each one of these games provides an incredibly different experience for the gamers. Fans would not have to choose between them, given the fact that no two games on this list are the same. But the most interesting title in this whole list is no doubt Rise of the Ronin, a game that will be launched later this month and take players to Feudal Japan. However, it looks like it has already hit a massive hurdle.

Rise of the Ronin, or Team Ninja’s Sekiro, has been banned in South Korea

A while ago, FromSoftware partnered with Activision to develop and launch a game called Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. That game was something else; it was a very different take on their own Soulslike genre. It altered the gameplay of the Dark Souls series in such a manner that many fans refused to call it a soulslike title.

It featured heavy stealth mechanics and more skill-based combat than level-based scaling, like in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. It also did away with the skills and other such things to make the game a more straightforward experience for its fans. The result was a much harder and more fun experience.

Team Ninja, on the other hand, decided to build their own version of Dark Souls. The result was Nioh; a game which was based in historical Japan. Featuring a Western protagonist, it mixed history and fantastical elements and brought the masterful combat of their own Ninja Gaiden titles to it.

There were combat stances, vastly different co-op modes, colorful and fancy side distractions, and much more. As a result, both Nioh and Nioh 2 became monumental successes. The next step was simple: a game based on Sekiro.

But this time, Team Ninja decided to do something special; they partnered with Sony and built an open-world game. A game set in Edo, which was the former name of Tokyo. Players control a Ronin, a samurai without a master, who travels through a war-torn Japan fighting enemies and looking for revenge.

The game no doubt features Sekiro-like combat mechanics, horseback riding, and even incredible-looking paraglider-like machinery. All things work together to make the gameplay of Rise of the Ronin stand out. But it appears this incredible-looking game would not have as wide a reach as the developers and the publisher had imagined.

The game has been banned in South Korea, and the reason for this cancellation is pretty straightforward. A while ago, in an interview, game director Fumihiko Yasuda compared Shoin Yoshida to Socrates, which sparked controversy in South Korea. For those unaware, Yoshida was one of the most prominent people who played an important part in the Meiji Restoration; he also became one of the people who led Japan to conquer and occupy Korea.

It’s a serious issue, and Sony has confirmed that this game is not available in South Korea anymore. But they have also maintained that this is not due to the comment made by Yasuda.

Sony still has a great year ahead

While this is a big hurdle for Rise of the Ronin and its developer, Team Ninja, it’s only a small hurdle for publisher Sony. As mentioned above, they have some other massive games releasing later this year.

One of them is Stellar Blade, which was developed in Korea itself, while the other is Silent Hill 2 Remake. And who knows, they might announce some surprise releases too? Still, for those not in South Korea, Rise of the Ronin is releasing on March 22, 2024; do not miss it.