Console censorship impacts PC version of realistic SWAT-style shooter. Ready or Not players responded with review bombing
Ready or Not is expected to retain its existing style when it is released on consoles, but fans are not thrilled with the concessions the developers have made.
Ready or Not became the target of review bombing after its creators announced the adaptation (or "censorship") of their game before its release on consoles.
Sony and Microsoft don't allow every game on their hardware. A studio that wants to debut on PlayStation or Xbox must first get a certificate. It's usually not a big deal, but sometimes devs have to make changes to convince console producers to allow their games on the console.
This happened in the case of the tactical FPS. Void Interactive studio informed players about obtaining an "18" age rating from the European PEGI organization and a "Mature" rating from the American ESRB agency. However, the decision to release the game on consoles required adapting Ready or Not to meet "other content requirements," which will also result in changes for the PC version.
Crossplay and the risk of bugs forced censorship on PC
The developer is saying that it's not just a simple texture swap. In such a case, the team would be able to modify the game only on consoles, leaving the original PC version unchanged. However, the requirements of Sony and/or Microsoft force changes to entire assets, and even mechanics, for example, adding "clothing" to the character model.
According to the creators, this would make the game's development more difficult because it would basically lead to the creation of two versions of the game. As a result, it would be easier for bugs to appear and for bigger problems with optimization to occur. Splitting the console and PC versions would ruin cross-platform gameplay because crossplay requires the versions on each device to be almost identical.
Nonetheless, the developer assured that "any changes are aimed at maintaining fidelity to the original game style" and fans "have no reason to worry."
Ready or Not: less torture and limited dismemberment
Players may "have no reason to worry," but a glance at the game's card on Steam shows that fans have clearly found a reason for dissatisfaction. Right now, out of over 1,000 reviews on Steam from the last 3 days, only 395 (about 36.5%) are positive, which has brought the ratings from the past 30 days down to 64% positive. The "enthusiasm" of the players is also evidenced by the "0" likes of the developer's post, in which the team discussed the changes.
The reason is simple and is mentioned in almost all user opinions since the announcement was published by Void Interactive: "censorship." The devs have limited the system of "dismembering" enemy bodies - among other things, you can no longer "carve out" the bodies of killed enemies. The graphics with torture themes have been toned down a bit so they're not too extreme, and some characters have been made more modest.
Probably the scope of changes itself wouldn't matter much to some players, who would consider any change in content after the release of the full version of the game as a "cowardly," "unforgivable" concession and a breach of the promise of "uncompromising realism." This "betrayal" is all the more painful because in 2023, Ready or Not became an independent title, after the announcement of a school shooting mission scared off the publisher, Team17.
Ready or Not will hit PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles on August 31, 2025.
