Diablo 3 to include parental controls, region-specific gore edits

by David Hinkle { Aug 25th 2009 at 5:00PM }

Diablo 3 designer Jay Wilson was on hand at the recent GamesCom, where he met up with Wired and frankly discussed the game's gore. He confirmed that the title would not only have parental controls, but could have a lot of its signature violence stripped for select regions. "Yeah, we're going to have to be able to turn off blood, change the color and things like that, because you can't have red blood in some regions, regions that we would very much like to sell the game in," Wilson said.

Though he doesn't foresee any issue in selling the game in Germany and Australia, Blizzard will have to carefully weigh its options when it comes to a release in in China. "With our relationship with NetEase, we recently got new information about what China really wants, and it's a lengthy list. It's really hard for us to cater to. We'll try. There's no reason we wouldn't want to go there, but there is a certain point where we'd have to redo so much of the game that it's not viable anymore," Wilson explained.

Tags: blizzard, diablo, diablo-3, diablo-iii, gore, mature, parental-controls, violence

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Shagittarius @ Aug 25th 2009 5:05PM

But will it have a one-handed easy mode?

Hydrophobicfish (PSN: HydrophobicFish) @ Aug 25th 2009 5:07PM

I think you'll be pleased to find out that it indeed does.

Bayonetta would be proud.

[ADULTre SWIM] [blogs at trespeak.tumblr.com] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:10PM

Blizzard has melted if they put that crap in it.

*rim shot*

Skaz @ Aug 25th 2009 6:20PM

Actually, the mouse wheel will replace the f buttons to select your ability

the artist formerly known as [tre] [blogs at trespeak.tumblr.com] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:07PM

WHAAAAAAT?!?!

Ghen @ Aug 26th 2009 10:18AM

You expected different? this is common practice for any legitimate game.

I'm hoping I can change blood color in the US for some fun screen shots.

Warlock @ Aug 25th 2009 5:08PM

Solution for China: turn everything into a box! It worked for WoW!

[Does It Offend You, Tre?] [blogs at trespeak.tumblr.com] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:13PM

How do you turn BLOOD into a box? Hm? HMMMMM?

Warlock @ Aug 25th 2009 5:15PM

Clearly you make the monster into a box, and turn blood into those foam packing chips.

AsherR [Planeteer | Power of The Hoff] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:16PM

Simple! Blood would be packing peanuts.

AsherR [Planeteer | Power of The Hoff] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:17PM

Noooo... I was beaten to it.

Yan @ Aug 25th 2009 5:11PM

While placing more restricting options may seem extraneous to some, this is a proper step towards future discrediting of video games being the cause of horrific atrocities.

U U D D L R L R B A SELECT START @ Aug 25th 2009 5:11PM

Are we really SURE that its wise to teach children that when you shoot somebody in the face with a shotgun or hack off their limbs the consequences are reduced to a puddle of blue goo or sparkly rainbows being emitted from the newly exposed orifice?

Papa Midnight @ Aug 25th 2009 7:53PM

There's enough on TV at 8:00 PM to teach them otherwise.

Professor Lario @ Aug 25th 2009 5:12PM

I like the idea of controllable levels of violence, language, nudity, etc... It allows those that want to play with them on the ability to do so, but also allows parents to tailor the experience for their children.

Dirty @ Aug 25th 2009 5:14PM

Sort of like that quiz that they gave you before you played leisure suit Larry back in the day.

Hydrophobicfish (PSN: HydrophobicFish) @ Aug 25th 2009 5:17PM

The unfortunate thing about the Larry quiz... I was playing that game when I was way underage, I just got lucky on the guesses. But now that I'm definitely old enough to play it, the questions it asks I'm still probably not too keen on knowing since it was still before my time.

Sure, I could look it up on Google and yadda yadda... But it's not a perfect parental control, though it is a very interesting way to do it.

[Does It Offend You, Tre?] [blogs at trespeak.tumblr.com] @ Aug 25th 2009 5:19PM

Someone said Leisure Suit Larry?!?!

Egad!

Puffles @ Aug 25th 2009 8:07PM

Also, some adults are put off by excessive gore in games. I'm personally not one of them, but to each their own, right? If someone wants to play the game with no blood, then there shouldn't be any reason why they can't.

Professor Lario @ Aug 25th 2009 8:09PM

@Puffles - absolutely. Developers really could reach a new audience with tools like this.

cknblade @ Aug 25th 2009 10:18PM

Frankly, I would've liked something like this in Fallout 3. I don't mind blood, blood is fine, I think it'd be wierd to play Fallout 3 in TF2 Party mode (Instead of bloody gibbs, explosions cause the players to explode in a burst of confetti and presents). However, what I did mind was how often enemies' heads would explode, leaving behind bloody neck stumps. If you shoot someone at point blank with a shotgun, fine. Their head might pop like a pumpkin. But if you shoot at someone with a hunting rifle from 100 feet away, I doubt it would be as gory as fallout makes it out to be. The dogs were the worst; all across the wasteland, there are hundreds upon hundreds of headless vicious dog corpses. I've actually started shooting for the torso as much as the head, seeing as with the torso, the effects are semi-realistic.

David @ Aug 25th 2009 5:13PM

consoles?

Ghostsong @ Aug 25th 2009 5:16PM

Is that Kratos?

stevenrafaelmercadoguillermo @ Aug 25th 2009 5:44PM

I was just about to ask that!

Old Professor Zertoss @ Aug 25th 2009 5:47PM

THE GODS HAVE DELAYED ME YET AGAIN!

Saihna @ Aug 25th 2009 6:38PM

I was about to ask too. xD

Hydrophobicfish (PSN: HydrophobicFish) @ Aug 26th 2009 10:55PM

No, it's Dante, from Dante's Inferno.

It's a common mistake to confuse the two.

Uncontrol @ Aug 25th 2009 5:18PM

I'm not a huge fan of gore. It doesn't gross me out but I mostly find it obnoxious, so if I can tone it down with settings, that would be pretty cool.

HMote @ Aug 26th 2009 1:42PM

I totally agree. This should be an option in all games.

Macabre @ Aug 25th 2009 5:23PM

Haha, makes me think of that one ATHF episode about "Standards and Practices"

What China's D3 will be like, about mid-way through the video:

http://www.ffwd.com/videos/226543?ctid=9&cvid=42796

MystileArmor @ Aug 25th 2009 5:26PM

When I was little all games had parental control. And it was alot fucking harder to disable that one...

Ryan Hamilton @ Aug 25th 2009 7:50PM

Wtf that looks like Kratos?

Ameen @ Aug 25th 2009 8:17PM

I thought this was a post about GoW3, until I saw the headlines that it is Diablo 3 ! WTF is wrong with Blizzard's designers? Those Late night sessions of GoW has made them copy it just the same !

P.S: I still love it though. :)

BigD145 @ Aug 25th 2009 9:36PM

Expect a German Gore patch in 3...2...

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