One of the upcoming exclusive releases for PlayStation 5 is Rise of the Ronin, developed by the Japanese studio Team Ninja. Both Koei Tecmo and PlayStation are gearing up for the launch, but unfortunately, they have just announced the cancellation of the game in a significant region due to controversial comments.
Just over a month before its worldwide release, it caught attention that Rise of the Ronin disappeared from the PlayStation Store in South Korea, not only the games pre-order pages but also all promotional material in a mysterious and fleeting move by Sony.
Sony Interactive Entertainment quickly confirmed to the South Korean portal RULIWEB that indeed, all Rise of the Ronin materials had been removed, and the reason is the cancellation of the games release in this region.
Why was the release of Rise of the Ronin canceled in South Korea?
The company elaborated on the cancellation, but it is believed that the reasons are unfortunate comments made by the projects director and the overall inspiration for the game.
We know this from the first video in a series focused on the games development. In one part, director Fumuhiko Yasuda talks about the influences of the title and how he visited the Shoka Sonjuku School, a private school founded by Shōin Yoshida, which is a historical site in Japan.
"Even though it was a different world at a different time, I think Shōin could be compared to Socrates," expressed the director. "I wanted to project his teachings and life from the moment I started working on Rise of the Ronin. He wasnt just a philosopher; he insisted on the importance of action."
What happened between Japan and Korea?
This Japanese figure was crucial because not only did he lay the foundations for the Japanese right-wing ideology, but his students played a key role in the overthrow of the shogunate and the return of power to Imperial Japan, a period characterized by war crimes committed, especially during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Yoshida was a major proponent of Seikanron, a political debate that took place in Japan in 1873 and divided the Meiji government by proposing a punitive military expedition to Korea. Although it did not proceed, Japan later invaded Korea and made it one of its colonies through the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, which took effect in 1910 and ended with Japans surrender in World War II (1945).
After this brief history lesson, its clear that this is a sensitive territory for Korea, which, by the way, is one of the countries that takes these historical matters very seriously. Many users on the RULIWEB site expressed dissatisfaction and criticized the way the game would portray Yoshida.
Neither PlayStation nor Koei Tecmo have made any comments on the matter.
In case you missed it: Rise of the Ronin was a success on YouTube.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation of the release of Rise of the Ronin in South Korea? Share your comments.
Rise of the Ronin will debut on March 22 exclusively for PlayStation 5.
