Heavy Rain Banned In United Arab Emirates

Sony’s latest exclusive has been banned in the United Arab Emirates in the same week it is releasing globally. No explanation has been given for the ban, but Sony has released the following statement on the matter.

“The UAE’s National Media Council (NMC) has banned Heavy Rain on PlayStation3,” Sony confirmed. “Heavy Rain has an 18+ PEGI rating and has been conceived from the earliest stages as a genuinely adult experience. This means that it deals with strong content including blood and nudity, but treats this content in a mature and sensitive manner. The game is not intentionally controversial or sensationalist, and all the themes and content are consistent with what consumers would expect to see in a mainstream Hollywood thriller.”

That would suggest that scenes of nudity and violence in the game were considered too strong for consumers in the region. That’s sad news for a region that remains a strong centre for PlayStation hardware sales.

Via Kotaku