Well, Ubisoft has finally made good on this egregious mistake with their 2014 open-world shooter, Far Cry 4. The French publisher, unfortunately, swapped the English audio files. As a consequence, the lead character, Ajay, became clothed instead of naked during an important scene. This change by the ESRB raised alarm from fans because this censorship came without the consent of the game’s developers.
In Far Cry 4, one of the most memorable moments occurs when a female NPC addresses players directly. In her own unapologetic way, she challenges the viewer to “Quit staring at my tits.” This scene was originally supposed to involve nudity, particularly in the Japanese release of the game. We learned that a regional packaging error led to an incorrect depiction of Ajay’s character in other versions. They meant to put a bikini top on him, even outside of Steam.
Ubisoft was quick to backtrack on this misstep, realizing that there were absolutely no plans to censor Far Cry 4. Besides that, the company area without wasting any time to return the scene to its original state, maintaining the artistic integrity of the game.
“Just to reassure everyone: there are no plans to censor Far Cry. This was purely a regional packaging error and has now been fully addressed.” – The Far Cry account on X
We produced not-for-sale alterations to the English audio files. This put players in a tough spot as most weren’t cognizant of the changes made. Ubisoft’s quick action speaks volumes to their commitment to upholding the original vision the devs wanted.
Fans of Far Cry 4 can experience the unembellished beauty now, including everything that’s found in the critical edition. This latest saga should be a reminder to the publishers of the complexity of having to control content at the regional and platform levels.