Sony requires games censor Taiwan references to be listed on PlayStation Store

Sony is asking game developers to remove all references to Taiwan before products can be listed on the PlayStation Store. The Chinese Communist Party currently claims the country is a part of 'One China.'

All games listed on Sony's PlayStation Store appear to be subject to a censorship rule that requires developers to remove references to Taiwan as a country. While Taiwan is nearly universally recognised as an independent democratic nation, it diplomatically distinguished itself from China in 1949 and is subject to a territorial dispute. Now, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are trying to reclaim the territory under the 'One China' policy, while using censorship to control the messaging around references to the country (or, rather, a lack thereof).

Sony appears to be appeasing Taiwan censorship rulings in China

Lillymo Games co-owner Colin Moriarty — speaking on his Sacred Symbols+ podcast Episode 200 at around the 41:40 mark (paywalled) — confirmed the news while discussing the development of new platformer Super Perils of Baking for PS5 and PS4. Moriarty describes the offending line being the fifth step of an in-game recipe that reads: "Taiwan is a country."

"In the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions, we changed one of the recipes. We didn't think we would get in trouble for it, but we didn't want to be poking at the bear with Sony. There are rules in their dev guidelines saying that you can't — in so many words, it's extensive — refer to Taiwan as an independent country and I did that in one of the recipes."

Super Perils of Baking causes trouble with Sony.

Associate producer Ben Smith then goes on to explain: "PlayStation's rule is just straight up: You may not refer to Taiwan as a country in any way, shape, or form. Whether the game was published anywhere at all or everywhere, it doesn't matter. I sent a ticket to PlayStation directly and said: 'Can we call Taiwan a country?' And they said: 'Absolutely not.'"

As the developers go on to discuss the situation, it is noted that the game wasn't censored on PC, Xbox, or Switch, and that this change had previously been noted by a few eagle-eyed gamers on Twitter. However, this is the first time that we have seen it acknowledged that Sony is officially asking for the removal of references to Taiwan. Presumably, this is to appease China, ensuring the company can still sell games, hardware, and services in the country.

Guilty Gear -Strive- was also censored

This might also explain why Guilty Gear -Strive- was updated to exclude all references to Taiwan and Tibet in its character biographies last year. China, under the CCP, has even been extending its reach to censor Call of Duty.

The team goes on to discuss the matter further, expressing regret that they couldn't get a reference in somehow, and with Moriarty noting his belief that the practice is "heinous." What do you think of the news here? A concerning trend? Keep us posted below!

Written by Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Editor Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and other gaming news. He writes about PS5 exclusives like The Last of Us and Horizon, PS Plus news, and his favorite games — The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, and God of War — before an evening swim.