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Elements of the multiplayer component of The Last of Us were censored in the European release, it has been discovered.
Eurogamer reports that the European version lacks some of the gore found in the US release – specifically, weapons that lead to exploding heads have been calmed to avoid the decapitation.
There are a few other dismemberment events that have been cut, too.
The single player game seems to be unaffected by the cuts.
The changes have been confirmed on the forums of developer Naughty Dog, which cited different regulations in different countries for the decision. A separate report says that the changes were made so as to avoid the possible wrath of the famously strict German USK ratings board.
It’s also alleged that this is not the first time this has happened – the UK releases of both God of War: Ascension and Twisted Metal were also said to be missing elements that were cut for the German release.
The reason, the report says, is that SCEE releases the same game across all of Europe, so changes made for one territory will be reflected in all others.
