With the announcement that upcoming volleyball-fighting game "Dead Or Alive Extreme 3" may not be getting a release in the United States and Europe, Western gamers expressed their dismay over alleged censorship.
The news came after the game's official Facebook page posted a comment in response to a fan query on whether the game would receive a western release.
"We do not bring DOAX3 to the west and won't have any plan change in the future. Thank you for asking," the post read.
When further asked about the matter, the page hinted that Japanese publisher Koei Tecmo made the decision due to concerns that the title could be perceived as being sexist, Kotaku reported. "Dead or Alive Xtreme 3" is the third installment of the spin off to Tecmo's popular "Dead Or Alive" fighting game franchise. The "Xtreme" series is set in a summer vacation scenario where swimwear-clad female characters from the main games play beach volleyball and do a variety of mini games.
Earlier, the latest release in the main DOA line, "Dead or Alive 5: Last Round" has received criticisms regarding alleged heavily sexualized female character designs. The franchise is also notable for featuring well-endowed women in its character roster.
US Gamer reported that Tecmo's decision may be more due to business considerations than fear of backlash. The report added that English is already an available language option for the Japanese release of the game and that the Playstation 4 is not region-locked.
"Dead or Alive 3" is set to be released in Japan in February next year for both the PS4 and the Playstation Vita.