The European market has always been a challenging one for game developers. With strict laws and regulations in place, some of the most beloved games have had to make significant cuts to their content to be eligible for release. Whether it’s due to concerns about violence, nudity, or other sensitive themes, many games have had to make major alterations to their gameplay to be allowed on European shelves. In this blog post, we’ll explore five such games that had to cut out content to meet European market requirements. From classic titles to modern masterpieces, these games have all had to make difficult decisions to ensure their success in one of the world’s most important gaming markets.
Number 1. Contra
Konami’s classic side-scrolling shooter, Contra, caused a stir in some European countries due to its graphic violence. In a bid to appease these countries, Konami made some significant changes, including replacing the human protagonists, Bill and Lance, with robots and swapping out human enemies for aliens. The game was also rebranded as Probotector. Although the name and human characters eventually returned to Europe with the release of Contra: Legacy of War, the series continued to face challenges. For instance, Contra 4 on the DS never made it to the continent outside of import sales. It’s worth noting that the Probotector alterations only applied to the NES, SNES, and Genesis versions, as the Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC versions still featured Bill, Lance, and other human characters under the Gryzor name. Perhaps it was less about the game’s violent content and more about its association with the Iran-Contra Scandal.
