Dead or Alive Xtreme 3’s official Facebook page answered a fan question yesterday about whether or not the game would release in the West. As it turns out, the studio has no plans of a North American or European launch. “We do not bring DOAX3 to the west and won’t have any plan change in the future,” Team Ninja said initially.
When pressed further in the comment page about their plans, the developer elaborated on their reasons for no Western release: “Do you know many issues happening in video game industry with regard to how to treat female in video game industry? We do not want to talk those things here. But certainly we have gone through in last year or two to come to our decision. Thank you.”
There has certainly been outrage and criticism in the video game industry over the treatment of women, both in games in in the industry/culture itself. The decision to not release Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 in the NA or EU regions will be a strategic one, attempting to avoid the ire of the press while still allowing fans to play the game. The game will not be region locked, and all of its menus will be available in English, which means players who want to play the game regardless will be able to do so if they import it from Japan. This way, Team Ninja could still serve its Western fans while attempting to avoid backlash against the game’s arguably oversexualized depictions of women.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is expected to release February 25, 2016, in Japan only for PlayStation 4 platforms.
