Rise Of The Ronin Might Not Be Releasing In South Korea Following Controversy

Rise of the Ronin, an upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive, has been canceled in South Korea following controversial remarks by the game’s director, as reported by v.daum.net. In a “Behind the Scenes” video that showcased the development of the title, as well as comments from the game’s lead, the game director glorified and compared Yoshida Shoin, a historical figure who talks about conquering Korean lands, with Socrates. 

For reference, please skip to 3:15 in the following video uploaded on PlayStation’s YouTube Channel.

In the video, Team Ninja’s Fumihiko Yasuda glorified the ideology presented by Yoshida Shoin, which talks about Japan conquering Korea. Due to the political animosity between Japan and Korea, this act has drawn a lot of backlash from the Korean gaming community, prompting Sony to block pre-orders in the region. As reported by v.daum.net and translated by Google, a fan even said they “won’t even look at Team Ninja’s games in the future.”

Rise of the Ronin takes place during the Bakumatsu era and the final years of the Edo Period in Japan during the 19th century. The game’s development has been ongoing since 2015. Some of the previous works of Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja include Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and the Nioh series. You can also check out our interview regarding Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s future with Team Ninja’s Masakazu Hirayama, its producer and director.

Note that there has yet to be an official statement from Sony regarding the game’s cancellation in the region, but as of now, South Korean accounts are unable to pre-order Rise of the Ronin from the PlayStation store. The game is set to release globally on March 22. It was developed by Koei Tecmo’s Team Ninja and published by Sony.