Rise of the Ronin, the upcoming PlayStation game by Team Ninja is not going to get a release in South Korea. This has been confirmed by Sony.
Rise of the Ronin, an upcoming action role playing game by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja, is set to release on March 22, 2024. The game has incredible graphics with unique gameplay, at least from what we can see in the trailers for this game. The release is highly anticipated all over the world.
A release for South Korea has been cancelled, though, as was confirmed by Sony. The reason? For that, we need to give you a quick history overview so you can understand the geopolitical issues that could be behind this.
Why Won't Rise of the Ronin Release In South Korea?
On February 13, the South Korean news report "ruliweb.com", revealed that it was impossible to make a digital pre-order or even find information about Rise of the Ronin in their area. At that point, it became clear that the game won't release in South Korea, but why?
Recently, various western gaming outlets claimed that the game's alleged cancellation in Korea was caused by a controversial comment made by the game's director, Fumuhiko Yasuda. In a behind-the-scenes video released by PlayStation, Yasuda commented on Shōin Yoshida, a historical figure with influence in Japanese and Korean history.
Shōin Yoshida was a Japanese scholar and political philosopher during the 19th century. Many of his students became influential figures in the Meiji Restoration, which contributed significantly to the modernization and transformation of Japan in the late 19th century.
He is also seen to be a key figure behind Seikanron, which was a debate made by Japan about invading Korea. The Seikanron happened in 1873 and resulted in the decision not to invade South Korea at the time. However, Korea was colonized by Japan in 1910 and remained under its rule until 1945.
In the video, Yasuda compared Yoshida to Socrates and expressed his intention to depict Yoshida's teachings and life in Rise of the Ronin.
"Although it was a different world in a different time, I believe he could be compared to Socrates,""I wanted to depict his teachings and his life from the moment I started working on Rise of the Ronin (...) He wasn't just a philosopher. He insisted on the importance of taking action."
Some speculate that Yasuda's positive portrayal of Yoshida led to the decision not to release Rise of the Ronin in Korea, potentially resulting in its claimed cancellation, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Contrary to the speculation, Sony clarified in a statement to IGN that Rise of the Ronin was never intended for release in South Korea. The statement reads, "Rise of the Ronin for PlayStation 5 was never officially announced for release in Korea."
They additionally revealed that the title would not be sold or published in South Korea, whether in physical or digital form. Sony did not provide additional reasons or information about when this decision was made.
At the moment, the real reason for Rise of the Ronin's absence in South Korea is still unknown. But as soon as we get more information, we will update this article to keep you well-informed on the matter.