The mini-scandal about overly large breasts in the beat ’em up Hyper Universe reaches a new dimension: the smaller breasts of the EU version are now to become the standard, and the game will become more modest even in South Korea. Outraged fans shout “Censorship.”
Hyper Universe is a sidescroller MMO from South Korea. When the game launched in Alpha here in the West, a discussion erupted in the forums about how women in the game are portrayed in a sexualized manner: the breasts are large, a lot of skin is shown. Some felt: “This is not a game I want my children to play.”
The topic became the most discussed forum post about Hyper Universe during Alpha.
Compromise Proposal: Smaller Breasts
Publisher Nexon then engaged in a compromise: the graphics were slightly toned down, without changing much about the game. The breasts of the women have become slightly smaller, and here and there, the characters have been given more fabric.
It was said that this was a compromise between Asia and the West. What is still okay in Asia is viewed as too sexualized in the West. Nexon understands this, hence the step. Nexon does not want to hurt feelings.
Some fans have been upset about this, rejecting such changes as censorship. A game should be played as it is originally intended, as the artist envisioned it. The website One Angry Gamer also rejects this censorship and provides statistics on how detrimental the decision was for the game. According to Steam Spy, many players demanded a refund of the purchase price of Hyper Universe via Steam after the censorship decision.
Censored Version Becomes the New Step
Now there is an unusual step: developer Cwavesoft wants to transfer the changes made in the Europe and North America versions to the original version in South Korea. They say: Fans are concerned that the nudity and breast physics demean the female characters and make the game inaccessible. Players have stopped playing Hyper Universe because they felt uncomfortable due to the excessive sexualization.
A compromise proposal from the breast-friends to introduce a switch that makes the changes optional was rejected by Nexon. Fans have already developed an “uncensored mod” for Hyper Universe.
We have already reported on the issue:
There is stress in Hyper Universe because women have smaller breasts
