Players have noticed something different with the PS4 release of Devil May Cry 5. The critical success was released on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, but only one of the three releases has had some content weirdly censored in its Western release. This first came to light in a YouTube video which highlighted creative use of lens flare by the team behind the game.
Devil May Cry 5 features a number of mature scenes ranging from a lot of gore to some trademark nudity. This is nothing new for the series, which has always been provocative since its inception. However, the fact that this lens flare issue is apparently only present on the PlayStation version that was released in the West seems to suggest that Sony’s relatively new policies have censored Devil May Cry 5.
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Youtube user, Naughty Gaming 2, has released a video showing off the alleged differences between the Western release of Devil May Cry 5 and the Japanese release on the PlayStation. It appears to show that the Japanese release leaves Trish’s naked rear uncensored, while the Western release has a more tactful approach to the subject matter. There’s some tactical use of lens flare as light ricocheting off Dante’s motorcycle to blur out Trish’s posterior. It’s also worth noting that this censored Devil May Cry 5 cutscene does not receive the same treatment in the PC or Xbox releases of the game, leading fans to speculate that it is likely because of Sony’s policies that this has occurred.
It’s not known whether it was Sony’s idea or Capcom’s initiative when it comes to the censored Devil May Cry 5 footage. However, the former has gotten into some controversy recently with its approach to what gets put on its online marketplace and what material gets cut from certain titles for release, so it’s likely that it is the one driving this.
The fact that the Japanese version is different from the Western version is also causing more confusion amongst players. Another incongruity with this censorship is the fact that a later scene in the game where Lady is naked has seemingly been left intact without any interference. This approach to the degree of nudity that is acceptable to Sony isn’t very helpful: it’s unclear which part of Trish’s nakedness was inappropriate since a similar scene with Lady was not touched at all. There has been no comment from Sony or Capcom about this matter yet, but it will be interesting to see how this is eventually justified or explained to the masses.
