XSEED Games has delayed the western release of Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal, due to the removal of the game's Intimacy Mode, per the request of Sony.
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal is a remake of an expansion to the original Senran Kagura: Portrait of Girls. This third iteration of the story transforms it from a sidescroller to a 3D brawler, in line with other main entries in the franchise.
The new version expands on the game’s story and provides new features, including a customization mode, a photo mode called diorama, and an intimate skinship mode. Through skinship, the player is able to kiss, grope and undress some of the game’s characters to see their reactions. We’ve mentioned it back in November.
Because of the skinship feature, Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal has found itself in hot water. Sony has requested that the game’s western publisher XSEED remove the mode entirely, with XSEED complying. Because of this, the game has been delayed on all platforms, though the Steam version of the game will still include the Intimacy Mode.
You can see the original tweet below:Tweet
The request seems sudden, given that the mode is present in the Japanese PS4 release of the game. Additionally, it seems that the partial, lens-flare censored nudity of the game will stay intact, just like in previous entries.
XSEED Games’ localization producer Tom Lipschultz shed some light on the issue through twitter. He says that the change is due to a new policy at Sony, and that the issue relates more to the mode’s interactivity than the character’s youthful appearance. He noted that he wasn’t part of the Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal localization team, so he doesn’t know too many details.
You can read his tweets below:
Tom also requests that people keep their feedback classy if they decide to address the issue:
This event echoes the cancellation of Omega Labyrinth Z, which had successfully passed the ESRB and PEGI rating boards, but was still denied publishing by Sony. You can read more about that event here.
The western version of Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal has been postponed for the time being, with no details issued on a new release window.
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