Despite passing certification on Xbox Series and PC, Gears of War: Reloaded will not release on PS5 in Japan.
According to IGN, the game – scheduled to release on August 26 – will not be available on PS5 due to “regional rating restrictions” and “platform policies.”
“Due to regional rating restrictions and platform policies, Gears of War: Reloaded will not be released for PlayStation 5 in Japan,” Microsoft wrote in a machine-translated statement.
“Domestic players will still be able to play the game on launch day through Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Game Pass, and Steam. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused to players in Japan who have been waiting for the release of this game.”
It’s thought, but not confirmed, that Gears of War: Reloaded was denied release on PS5 due to the ability to slice up enemies, as Japan’s rating board, CERO, has previously taken issue with mutilation, banning both The Callisto Protocol and the Dead Space remake on consoles for that reason.
Interestingly, Gears of War: Reloaded on the Microsoft Store also doesn’t sport a CERO rating, either, but it does say it’s been classified by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) instead. It’s not known if the remake failed to secure a CERO certificate first.