Sony Puts Country Before Profits, Cancels MotorStorm Apocalypse for Japan

By now, we have all have seen the countless images and videos on CNN and other places from the recent natural disasters that took place in Japan. With cities destroyed and the country’s spirits and energies going towards their people and the much needed recovery that is taking place as each day passes, it’s nice to see a company set aside its profits and instead focus on the people. In an alternative universe where a 8.9 earthquake and tsunami had not rocked the country of Japan, this week Sony’s PlayStation division would be releasing MotorStorm Apocalypse for the PlayStation 3. This genre-defining racing game has always been centered around all forms of jaw-dropping environments where the player can race, crash and taunt away the opponents in all forms of manors. Prior to this installment, the series had raced into the deserts and tropical landscapes for the game’s backdrop. For MotorStorm Apocalypse, the developers wanted to instead focus on an old abandoned city where the environment itself played like an opponent. With falling buildings and destroyed streets, the game was a spectacle to look at and play through, if you had not recently been exposed to a trauma of the same magnitude. Sony instead believes that the game will hit too close to home and will not be appropriate for the people of Japan and through an email issued out to the press, has stated that the game will be postponed (indefinitely) for Japan. From a capitalistic standpoint, this might not be a good move. After all, millions are/were spent on making this game, let alone localizing it for Japan, but from a humanity standpoint, it’s nice to see a company forgo profits and instead focus on the people.

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