One of the biggest releases on PlayStation 5 this year won't be available to around 125,000,000 people, leaving gamers of a major country feeling frustrated with no clear reasoning behind the decision.
Regional releases and ratings can often be a tricky thing in the gaming world, as historically we have seen certain major countries completely ban a game from purchase if they aren't happy with its content.
Australia has been notorious for making these decisions with games like Grand Theft Auto unavailable to players down under in the past, and one of the biggest upcoming horror releases also won't be playable.
While you typically see this with games that have extreme and 'disgusting' content, it also just as often applies to some of the most popular and iconic titles that will be played by millions upon release.
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Unfortunately this is the case for one major crossover title that many PlayStation fans have been desperate to play for years, and this decision leaves up to 125,000,000 people 'banned' from buying the game.
As reported by Comicbook.com, the upcoming release of Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5 has been shockingly banned in Japan with no clear reason why Sony has opted for this decision.
Having been tied to the Xbox side of the console war for nearly two decades now, it's understandable why many PlayStation fans were desperate to finally experience the chest-high-wall action of the Gears of War series.
Anyone who owns a PS5 in Japan won't be able to though, and it's likely due to the bloody and gory violence present within the title.
Strangely the Gears of War remaster is still releasing on both Xbox Series X|S and PC in Japan, making the omission of a PlayStation 5 release even more bizarre, but that gives some players the option still to dive into the violence.
A post from Xbox details this decision: "Due to regional rating restrictions and platform policies, Gears of War: Reloaded will not be released for PlayStation 5 in Japan.
"Domestic players will still be able to play the game on launch day through Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Game Pass, and Steam. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused to players in Japan who have been waiting for the release of this game."
One key consideration with this decision is the major difference in sales between PlayStation and Xbox consoles in Japan, meaning that while the game is still technically available, many won't have the necessary hardware to take advantage of it.
According to data from Famitsu, there have been 6,804,660 PlayStation 5 consoles sold since launch in Japan, whereas across both the Xbox Series X and S, Microsoft has sold just 676,819 consoles.
This then makes the decision to effectively 'cancel' the release of God of War: Reloaded on PS5 a far more significant action in Japan compared to most other regions, and it leaves most players without the option to experience a game they might have been waiting years to finally play.