Kalypso Media announced today that the latest installment of its dictator simulation series, Tropico 5, won't see a retail release in Thailand. The publisher's Thailand distributor New Era will not appeal the country's Board of Film and Video Censor's decision to deny sale of the game.
Though it did not note specific content within the game that led to the ruling, the branch of Thailand's Ministry of Culture declared parts of it "not appropriate for the current situation." In a press release, Kalypso Media Group global managing director Simon Hellwig lamented the news, citing the success of Tropico 3 and Tropico 4 in Thailand.
Kalypso released a downloadable content pack called Junta for Tropico 4 in 2011, tasking players with suppressing rebels while ruling their island via the titular military council. On May 22, Thailand army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha ousted the country's prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, heading up a junta of his own named the National Council for Peace and Order.
Tropico 5 is available on PC, with PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Mac, and Linux versions slated for release later this year. To learn more about Tropico 5, read our review and watch our Test Chamber episode of the game.
Our Take
This isn't the first time a game — whether internally or externally — has run into censorship issues or been denied a release in an international market, and it certainly won't be the last. Even though it's unfortunate, it's understandable that New Era decided not to appeal the decision to distribute a self-proclaimed dictator sim in a country that's currently under a military dictatorship.