Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin was recently pulled from the Korean PlayStation Store and has been confirmed not to be released in South Korea. This decision comes after the game’s promotional material was removed from PlayStation’s Korean YouTube channel, leaving many fans and gamers wondering about the reasoning behind this move.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Korea released a statement confirming that Rise of the Ronin won’t be available in Korea physically or digitally. The lack of explanation from Sony has led to speculation, with many believing the decision is related to comments made by game director Fumuhiko Yasuda in a behind-the-scenes video uploaded by PlayStation.

In the video, Yasuda is seen visiting the city of Hagi and the Shoka Sonjuku School, which was founded by influential 19th-century scholar Shōin Yoshida. Yasuda praised Yoshida’s teachings and expressed his desire to depict these teachings and his life in the game. However, Yoshida’s controversial ideologies in Korea have led to criticism of his inclusion in Rise of the Ronin by Korean audiences.

Yoshida’s students played significant roles in Japanese politics, particularly during the Meiji period, which saw Japan increase its military power and engage in wars with neighboring countries. This historical context, combined with Yoshida’s controversial reputation in Korea, has caused backlash against the game’s inclusion of him and his student Kogoro Katsura.

Despite the setback in Korea, Rise of the Ronin was recently showcased in Sony’s PlayStation State of Play event and is set to be a PS5 exclusive game, scheduled for release on March 22nd.