The 16th entry in the long-running Final Fantasy franchise is likely one of the biggest games coming out in 2023. And with the release date so close, it seems that the launch of Final Fantasy 16 might not go so smoothly in every country. The Saudi Arabian video game authority announced that it is banning Final Fantasy 16 at launch with no real sensible explanation.
According to a translated tweet from the aforementioned Saudi Arabian authority, Final Fantasy 16 is being banned because Square Enix is not willing to make certain changes to the game. There could be a variety of reasons why a game, movie, or TV show can get banned in any Middle Eastern country.
Final Fantasy 16 Has Been Banned In Saudi Arabia
Some of the most common reasons for bans in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries include violence, sexual themes, and depictions of same-sex relationships. This is an all-encompassing statement, which could include almost every game in the last few decades. A recent example of this is the removal of a kiss between Ellie and Riley in episode seven of HBO’s The Last Of Us from the Middle Eastern version of the show.
Saudi Arabia and other countries that remove references to anything that relates to LGBT values from movies and games have also had conflicts with Disney, particularly regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eternals was not released in Saudi Arabia due to the inclusion of a gay character. Disney also refused Saudi Arabia’s demands to remove a certain reference from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Last Of Us Part 2 was also banned in the Middle East, and the likely was Ellie’s relationship with Dina.
Saudi Arabia is very strict when it comes to the themes of the media being popularized in the state, so much so that this has resulted in a lot of blanket bans. This probably isn’t good news for people who were looking forward to playing Final Fantasy 16 in Saudi Arabia, now that it is banned. The release date of Final Fantasy 16 is on June 22 of this year, exclusively on the PlayStation 5.