'Final Fantasy 16' Denied Release In Saudi Arabia, Raising Questions About Game Content

Square Enix Holdings Co Ltd's SQNXF "Final Fantasy 16" will not be available for purchase in Saudi Arabia.

The news was announced by the country's Public Authority for Media via Twitter, where the government body said the game will not be released due to "the publisher's unwillingness to make the necessary modifications."

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لمحبي لعبة #FinalFantasyXIV، نود التوضيح بأنها لم تفسح بالمملكة، وذلك بسبب عدم رغبة الناشر بإجراء التعديلات اللازمة.

الهيئة العامة للإعلام #المرئي_والمسموع #تصنيف_الألعاب pic.twitter.com/5OuWZJGEvX

— التصنيف العمري للألعاب الإلكترونية (@VGAR_SA) May 3, 2023

Although the modifications Saudi Arabia requested were not disclosed, some speculate that the game's inclusion of LGBT+ content may be the reason. Homosexuality is illegal in the Western Asian Kingdom, and members of the LGBT+ community face severe repression.

However, the publisher behind the highly anticipated action RPG has not confirmed if the game has LGBT+ characters.

Last year, the game was rated "not recommended for children under 16 years old" in Brazil due to its inclusion of mature themes such as nudity, prostitution, drug use, suicide, torture, and gratuitous violence. The title has also faced criticism for its lack of racial diversity.

"Final Fantasy 16" is set to release on PlayStation 5 on June 22.

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