Upcoming samurai game Rise of the Ronin is being deleted in one region after a comment from one of the game’s creators…

Due to director Fumuhiko Yasuda’s comments, all physical and digital Rise of the Ronin releases have been cancelled in South Korea! The upcoming Japanese action RPG has created a lot of excitement among fans. But Korean gamers can’t wait any longer for the game to be released.

Scheduled for March 22nd, Rise of the Ronin takes players to the last years of Japan’s Edo period, where they embark on a role-playing adventure.

Despite positive fan and critical reception from trailers and gameplay footage, Sony has already cancelled the game in Korea due to an unexpected controversy.

First reported by Eurogamer, Sony Interactive Entertainment Korea recently issued a statement cancelling the digital and physical release of Rise of the Ronin in South Korea. The original announcement did not justify the move. But many speculate that a comment from the game’s director, Fumuhiko Yasuda, caused an unexpected backlash from fans in Korea.

In a recently released behind-the-scenes video, Yasuda introduced the Soka Sonjuku school and spoke positively about its controversial founder, Shoin Yoshida. His teachings were also used by supporters of the Japanese occupation of Imperial Japan and Korea.

Although many fans praised Rise of the Ronin’s unique environment, the inclusion of this particular location caused adverse reactions from Korean players, along with Yasuda’s comment.

Why is the Rise of the Ronin director’s comment controversial?

While Yasuda was showing off the gameplay of Rise of the Ronin, he also showed off the Shoka Sonjuku school. The original school was founded by Shoin Yoshida. He was an influential scholar whose teachings were used as the guiding principles for the later reconstruction of Imperial Japan. During the presentation, Yasuda said of Yoshida, “He wasn’t just a philosopher. He insisted on the importance of taking action.” However, this ideology fueled the subsequent Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea.

Thus, many Korean fans felt that Yasuda’s comment was an endorsement of Imperial Japan’s actions and the harm they had caused to Korea and its citizens, causing outrage in the Korean media and public, causing Sony to cancel the release of Rise of the Ronin in South Korea.

Neither Sony nor Yasuda had made any further statements regarding the dispute at the time of writing. So, it is not known whether the effect will spread beyond Korea. While Korean fans may no longer be waiting for RotR to come out, international audiences still seem optimistic about the Japanese RPG. Only time will tell if the game lives up to the hype or if this unexpected controversy hinders its success.

Source: Eurogamer