The publisher behind forthcoming fantasy video game Tera has responded to the angry fan response to news that the European version had been censored to secure a 12+ PEGI age rating.
Frogster’s community manager has assured players that the publisher had been taking the complaints seriously. He said:
We sincerely ask you to understand that we take all these issues very seriously, he wrote.
As you have all noticed, the blood effect slider was removed from the OBT client. We want first of all to apologise to you for not communicating this change as it should have been. We understand the importance of being transparent with our community.
He then confirmed that Frogster has decided to reinstate the aforementioned slider, via a post-launch patch due in May. But then added that the game would still be censored:
The European release version of the game will still have to be slightly different from the North American and Korean build: the only threat to our 12+ classification was the blood splattered on your screen when you are slaying certain monsters. This effect is slightly modified in the European version..
Raven also clarified that changes had been made to the appearance of the game’s Elin race.
[It was] not to comply with a demand from any official board, but because those characters in particular could have attracted to the game a population of unsavoury users, and it is part of our responsibility to protect our younger audiences from them, he explained.
All partners involved in the project decided to ask Bluehole Studios for a solution, so they created new textures and designs for Elin wear. We are sure you all agree that this effort for child protection was the right thing to do.
The main change is to change the lower body armor skin to give the appearance that the young looking female characters are wearing trousers as opposed to knickers. See article from terapvp.com.
The game will be released in Europe on 4th May 2012. with a PEGI 12 rating. The game is rated as Mature (M) in the US which is a ’17′ age rating.
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