Deadly Premonition 2 creator apologises for offensive treatment of trans character
Creator Hidetaka Suehiro vowed to re-write problematic scenes, admitting ‘I might have hurt transgender people’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The creator of the Nintendo Switch game Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise has apologised for the game’s offensive handling of a transgender character.
The game, a sequel to the 2010 cult hit Deadly Premonition, was released last week.
In the game, a trans character called Lena is repeatedly misgendered and deadnamed by characters including the game’s protagonist. Deadnaming is when trans or non-binary people are addressed with their birth name or other former name without consent.
Hidetaka Suehiro, the game’s developer, issued an apology on Twitter after the game faced criticism around the issue. He preceded the message by saying that it was composed using Google Translate.
“I realised [after it was] pointed out [by] friends, I might have hurt transgender people in my scenario. It wasn’t intentional. I am really sorry for that.”
He revealed that several scenes will be rewritten “ASAP”, in consultation with a team “that included diversity”.
In the days since its release, the game has been criticised for its problematic handling of Lena’s storyline, as well as a host of egregious technical issues.
In a one-star review of the game for US Gamer, Mathew Olsen noted that the game’s handling of its transgender character “hasn’t sat right with me”.
“I CANNOT BELIEVE how terribly this game runs,” wrote another critic. “A disgrace.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments