Xbox Game Pass Game Removes Controversial Content Before Release

Xbox Game Pass' next big game has made a last second change.

By Tyler Fischer

One of the biggest Xbox Game Pass games remaining this year, Lies of P, is out next week on September 19. The game from South Korean developer Neowiz has been drawing comparisons to Bloodborne since its reveal and been earning favorable reviews over on Metacritic, where it boasts scores that range from 81 to 84, depending on the platform. Strong review scores, comparisons to a fan-favorite game, and plenty of pre-release marketing material to drum up hype, yet one of the biggest talking points of the game is a controversial one. Days before release it's been confirmed a contentious part of the game has been removed. 

More specifically, Neowiz has gone and removed the APAB sign from the game. For those completely out of the loop, this stands for "All Puppets Are Bastards," which has been confirmed to be a homage to "All Cops Are Bastards," a politicized slogan associated with those that oppose the police. It doesn't need to be explained why this is contentious, but as you would expect many weren't impressed with the slogan making its way into a game. However, apparently didn't. While it was in the game at some point during development, Neowiz eventually opted to remove the sign. 

"That was one of the messages we were going to use in the game, but we ended up taking it out," said the game's director Ji-Won Choi while speaking with Video Games SI. "We took it out eventually because we wanted everyone to enjoy the game exactly how we intended it to be enjoyed, and not judged based on any trends. We really wanted the world that we designed to be interpreted by the players exactly how we aimed it to be, so we took out factors that could be a little risky. We respect everyone who might want to play this game, and we wanted everyone to get the best experience out of it."

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(Photo:

The sign before it was removed.

- Neowiz)

As for why the sign was in the game to begin with, and how it ties into the themes and message of Lies of P, Choi doesn't say. It's also unclear when exactly the slogan was removed from the game. In other words, was it moments after the Internet noticed it or was it right before release? We don't know. 

Lies of P is set to release worldwide on September 19 via PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. When it releases it will be available via Xbox Game Pass and a standard purchase of $59.99

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