Late last week, EA confirmed that Dragon Age: Inquisition wouldn’t be sold in India “in order to avoid a breach of local content laws,” with refunds being offered to everyone who pre-ordered the game.
Speaking with NDTV, distributor Milestone Interactive said Dragon Age not being published in India was due to the homosexual sex scenes, but when Kotaku contacted EA, they said it’s due to obscenity laws:
The decision here is in relation to local obscenity laws, but not specific to same gender romance.
The EA rep added that same-sex romance and gay characters were “irrelevant” to this specific issue.
To try to find further clarification on the law EA was avoiding breaking, Kotaku was pointed towards India’s penal code, which doesn’t offer much in terms of an explanation. Furthermore, EA said to look at the ESRB rating for reasons why EA may have felt they may break some of the laws:
This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of a warrior battling evil forces in different dimensions. Characters use swords, axes, hammers, and magic attacks to kill fantastical creatures (e.g., demons, monsters, dwarfs) and humans in melee-style combat. Cutscenes sometimes depict characters impaled or getting their throats slit. Violent sequences are often highlighted by cries of pain, gurgling/gushing sounds, and large blood-splatter effects; blood remains on the ground in several environments.
The game includes some sexual material: a female character briefly depicted in front of a man’s torso (fellatio is implied); characters depicted topless or with exposed buttocks while lying in bed or after sex; some dialogue referencing sex/sexuality (e.g., “’I will bring myself sexual pleasure later, while thinking about this with great respect’” and “The way your t*ts bounce when I pin your arms and take you on the side of the bed…”). The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” appear in dialogue.
All in all, EA wouldn’t give a clear reason why Dragon Age: Inquisition may have broken some of the laws in India, while other games like Grand Theft Auto V were able to launch without a problem. What we know for sure is that Dragon Age: Inquisition won’t be distributed in India.
