Keep Driving Switch And PS5 Versions Skipped In Japan After Ratings Failure
The drawn line is not violence but vices: the same review process that lets a player hold a gun blocked a cigarette-smoke banner image, and that gap cost the game two entire console markets.
Key Facts
- Swedish studio Y/CJ/Y will not release the Switch and PS5 versions of Keep Driving in Japan or South Korea.
- The studio said Keep Driving failed age rating review in Japan and South Korea over drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and slot machines.
- The Switch version of Keep Driving is delayed in other Asia-Pacific regions with timing undecided.
- The PS5 version of Keep Driving has no release plans in Japan or South Korea but is planned in other regions.
- Keep Driving is available on PC through Steam and GOG.com, PS5 overseas, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch overseas.
Reporting from 2 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Swedish indie studio Y/CJ/Y will not release the Switch and PS5 versions of its driving simulation RPG Keep Driving in Japan or South Korea. The studio said on its own social media that the game failed age rating review in both countries, citing drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and slot machines as the problematic elements. The developer also said a banner image showing cigarette smoke was rejected, adding that holding a gun was fine. The Switch version will not release in Japan or South Korea, and its release in other Asia-Pacific regions is delayed with timing undecided. The PS5 version has no release plans in Japan or South Korea at this time, with release planned in other regions. The Xbox version is planned for release without issues in all regions. The game is available on PC through Steam and GOG.com, PS5 overseas, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch overseas. On Steam, 93 percent of reviews are Positive, giving it a Very Positive rating at the time of writing.
The studio's own note on the ratings gap is blunt: "Even a banner image showing cigarette smoke was not allowed (while holding a gun is fine)."
Keep Driving is a simulation RPG set in the early 2000s. The player buys a first car, drives toward a festival, picks up hitchhikers, and customizes the vehicle across a procedurally generated pixel-art open world. Routes are chosen freely, a turn-based "combat" system resolves the difficulties along the way, and the run aims at multiple endings. A single playthrough runs about 1 to 4 hours.
The inspirations the studio has cited are Oregon Trail II and FTL: Faster Than Light. The full release on PC arrived on February 6, Japan time.
The regional split by platform, as the studio described it:
- Switch: not released in Japan or South Korea, and delayed in other Asia-Pacific regions with timing undecided.
- PS5: no plans for Japan or South Korea at this time, with release planned in other regions.
- Xbox: planned for release without issues in all regions.
It is available on PC through Steam and GOG.com, PS5 and Switch overseas, and Xbox Series X|S.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.