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The game was due to be released in the UK today, but 505 Games has made the decision to cancel its release.
“Following discussions with our retail and publishing partners, 505 Games has taken the decision not to publish Rule of Rose in the UK at this time,” said 505 Games in a statement this morning.
Only recently the game has been hitting headlines in the national press over the 16+ PEGI rating it was awarded. MCV reports that The Video Standards Council was angered by the reports, stating that the press the game has been receiving is “grossly inaccurate.“
The Times and Daily Mail ran stories which quoted EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini, who said “[Rule Of Rose] has shocked me profoundly with its obscene cruelty and brutality.“
The Times said that the game depicts a 19-yeal-old girl being “beaten, gagged and buried alive,” and also mentioned that the game has “alleged overtones of lesbianism and sadomasochism” and rat-based horror.
VSC secretary general Laurie Hall told MCV: “I have no idea where the suggestion of in-game sadomasochism has come from, nor children being buried underground. These are things that have been completely made up.“
“There isn’t any underage eroticism,” added Hall. “And the most violent scene does indeed see one of the young girls scare Jennifer with a rat on a stick. But the rat’s actually quite placid towards her and even licks her face.
In the end the controversy, warranted or not, has resulted in the game’s UK release being cancelled. Whether or not the title will eventually find its way into UK stores is unknown.
