They’ll edit the releases to be ‘tailored and localised’ for distribution, which not only includes dubbing but ”eliminating things” seen as offensive.
How odd, I thought that was the definition of ‘censorship’ in general. In fact lets consult a silly thing called a dictionary where it says that to censor is to ”examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable.” Knowledge is power!
”Those games that are extra-violent, or have sensitive issues for the region, will be edited for content,” Rubicon Holding’s executive director Ghassan Ayoubi. Rubicon Group Holding and Modern Electronics Company are teaming up for this ‘tailoring’ initiative.
”It’s not purely dubbing in Arabic, but eliminating things that may be inappropriate for the region. It’s introducing one or two elements that will be specifically for the region - maybe introducing a new character.”
”It’s not censoring. It’s tailoring or customising it for the market. It’s not deviating from the game itself,” they argue. PS3 releases will be the focus of this given that they’re Sony’s Saudi Arabian distributor, with ”two to four games per year” being processed.
FIFA 11 and Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3 will be first up for ‘tailoring’. Could Dead Rising 2, Mafia II and Grand Theft Auto eventually release in the Middle East?
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