After several weeks of speculation, Naughty Dog has finally confirmed that the PAL version of The Last of Us has had its multiplayer content censored in order to comply with “local regulatory boards in various countries.”
According to reports on both Joystiq and IGN, the PAL version — which includes Europe, Australia and New Zealand — has had the gore and violence toned down in the multiplayer mode. North and South American versions of the game allow dismemberment of limbs, exploding heads and the like. The PAL version won’t display such graphic violence. An attack that would explode a head in the North American version will produce only a spurt of blood in the PAL version.
One user posting on Naughty Dog’s official forums requested confirmation from Naughty Dog and was eventually contacted via email by “EvangM” whose response reads:
Sorry for the delay in responding, but we’ve been super busy. And we do read all of your and other fans’ messages, but there’s a lot of them! Anyway here we go:
1. The gore and violence ratings are subject to local regulatory boards in various countries, so the game must be slightly changed in order to accommodate those choices.
2. To be honest, I’m not sure what version Australia is getting. If you import the North/South American version, it will not be censored, but EU/UK will be.
The differences in the versions appear to be purely aesthetic, but it appears that Naughty Dog were playing it safe when it came to ratings for The Last of Us.
What do you think?
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
