Summary
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has reportedly been censored in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, removing LGBTQ+ elements from the game's content.
- The release in the Middle East includes support for Arabic voice acting, but changes have been made to remove Pride flags and alter a side mission featuring a gay couple.
- It remains to be seen if other potential changes have been made, such as Black Cat no longer being portrayed as bisexual.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has seemingly been censored so that the open world superhero game could be released in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Previously, it was confirmed that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 features LGBTQ+ elements that needed to be modified before the game would be allowed to release in the region.
This meant that the Spider-Man 2 release date came and went without a version of the open world superhero game available for purchase in the Middle East. At the time, it was unclear just how long gamers in that region would have to wait to start their own adventures in Spider-Man 2, but the game has now launched in the area. Spider-Man 2's launch in Saudi Arabia and the UAE includes support for Arabic voice acting and writing, though it also comes with the removal of LGBTQ+ elements.
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It's been reported online that the version of Spider-Man 2 available in Saudi Arabia and the UAE has removed Pride flags from open world New York City and has tweaked a side mission featuring a gay couple. During the Miles Morales BVU side missions, players are tasked with helping a student ask their boyfriend out for homecoming. This mission apparently still exists in the Middle Eastern version of Spider-Man 2, but it has been changed so that the two boys are no longer in a romantic relationship.
More potential changes could be revealed in the days as Spider-Man 2 fans in Saudi Arabia and the UAE play the game and share their findings on social media. For instance, it has yet to be confirmed if Black Cat is still bisexual in that version of Spider-Man 2. In the version of the game released elsewhere in the world, Black Cat makes mention of a girlfriend, which would likely be against the rules laid out by Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Media Regulation.
It will be interesting to see how the community reacts to this censorship, especially since Spider-Man 2 is a game that otherwise features a lot of inclusivity and minority representation. Unfortunately, this isn't the only controversy that the game has been dealing with as of late, as it was recently discovered that Insomniac accidentally included a Cuban flag on the wall of Miles' apartment instead of Puerto Rican one. Insomniac was quick to release an update fixing the Spider-Man 2 flag issue, but the censoring of LGBTQ+ elements in certain versions of the game is likely out of its control.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is out now, exclusively for PS5.
Source: Arab News Japan, Bounding Into Comics, Niche Gamer