A few days ago, we informed you that Square Enix had retroactively censored the four-year-old Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade through a game update, mere days before the release of the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
This was done as a means of maintaining so-called “continuity” regarding Tifa’s Cowboy outfit, briefly visible in the first installment during Nibelheim flashback cutscenes, as the costume had been modified from Intergrade to the upcoming release of Rebirth.
The revised outfit now sports a black piece of cloth that aims to cover up even more of her already unexposed cleavage area, given that the outfit itself isn’t even remotely sexualized, there is absolutely zero justification in retroactively censoring a game four years after the thought for the sake of “continuity” between installments.
The updated outfit now includes a black piece of cloth designed to cover even more of her previously unexposed cleavage area. Considering the outfit itself is not inherently sexualized, there is no justification for retroactively censoring a game four years later in the name of “continuity” between installments.
It’s worth mentioning that just before the sudden censorship patch went live, Tifa, the character in question, started trending on social media. This trend followed the release of promotional footage for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, featuring Tifa and Aerith in modest bikinis.
Given Final Fantasy’s more realistic tone compared to other Japanese properties, the beach publicity garnered significant attention, with some questioning whether Square Enix was reverting to its previous approach by potentially disregarding Western ESG values and its “Ethics” Department in particular.
However, it was soon revealed that the entire promotion was merely a ploy.
Square Enix proceeded to retroactively censor a four-year-old game by adding extra layers of clothing to an already toned-down design, given the vast amount of attention Tifa received on social media by wearing a simple bikini it’s highly likely that the sheer amount of attention threatened Square’s ESG standing.
Regardless, dedicated players eager to experience a remake that deviates and butchers the original version swiftly found a solution. The community promptly created a game modification that restored the flashback cutscenes to their pre-patch state. However, their oversight was uploading the mod to Nexusmods.
Nexusmods and similar platforms are compromised mod hosting platforms, they are run and moderated by progressive individuals. This criticism arose when pride flags were replaced with American flags in Marvel’s Spider-Man, where they took off their mask in regards to their feminist agenda.
These platforms have since banned various game mods that disrupt or alter a game’s virtue signaling or tone down any inclusive features, such as how Nexusmods recently removed a mod for the Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Collection that removes Crystal Dynamics’ disclaimer of racism, the Ser Aylin mod for BG3 that turns a lesbian romance into a heterosexual one.
Additionally, GameBanana recently removed a mod for Persona 3 Reload that enhanced the chest size of Yukari. The modification did not feature any nudity, rather, it made her clothed breasts more pronounced. This action was taken under the justification of “sexualizing a minor.”
Upon clicking the link to the aforementioned “Uncensored Nibelheim flashback video files” mod on Nexus, one is met with a revelation that everyone saw coming, the mod has been entirely eradicated.
The reasoning for its removal is straightforward, within the flashback cutscenes, the fictional character Tifa is portrayed as a teenager, precisely at the age of 15. Which would make her digital representation, comprised of polygons, to be considered underage, thereby rendering her incapable of providing consent to the removal of Square’s retroactive censorship.
Of course, if you searched through Nexus for Final Fantasy VII Remake game mods and sort by popularity you’ll be inundated with nude mods for her fictious adult form, but removing a black shirt that got added 4 years after the game’s release in an attempt to needlessly censor something that doesn’t even need censoring is somehow controversial.
But then again it has already been well documented that these mod hosting services are really just hypocritical pieces of shit that employ double standards across the board when most convenient.
Nexusmods, Gamebanana, and similar platforms once stood for the freedom of expression through game mods. However, they now wield a monopoly that seems more concerned with enforcing progressive ideals and silencing everything that isn’t politically correct rather than fostering creativity.
We urgently require a new platform that truly enables gamers to express themselves without restrictions. It’s time to push back against cancerous corporate entities like Square Enix, who resort to retroactive censorship years after a game’s release in an attempt to impose their ESG values on customers.
