Final Fantasy XVI has been banned in Saudi Arabia

It has been confirmed that Square Enix’s highly anticipated Final Fantasy XVI (FFXVI) will not be released in Saudi Arabia after the developer refused to make a "simple modification" to its content.

The details:

• The General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) of Saudi Arabia confirmed in a tweet that FFXVI would be banned after Square Enix was unwilling to make "necessary modifications" to the game. The changes in question have not yet been officially revealed, but it appears that the publisher is prepared to stand its ground against the country's growing gaming industry for the time being to maintain its artistic vision.
• Mohammed Albisimi, the founder and CEO of True Gaming, tweeted yesterday that a "big publisher" was "sticking to its gay shot," though he did not specify which game or publisher he was referring to. Many assumed it was related to the recent Horizon Forbidden West expansion, which included a lesbian kissing scene, but others pointed out that previously suspected leaks claimed that FFXVI would include sexual scenes, including between male characters.
• Many fans supported Square Enix's decision not to make compromises for the sake of the state, while others supported GCAM's decision since homosexuality is considered a sin in the Islamic religion. As expected, some fans in the country are upset by the ban; however, it has been suggested that they could circumvent the ban by a variety of means similar to previous attempts to ban video games.

Recent game releases:

• Redfall, Arkane Austin's vampire-hunting FPS, has several bugs and performance issues, but its gameplay has also received mixed reviews. Since its release, the game has only reached an underwhelming 6,000 concurrent players on Steam, indicating that the game's mixed reception has had an impact on its success thus far.
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released on April 28 to a generally negative reception due to the game's instability and general performance issues, with top-tier hardware struggling to run the game at even close to 60 frames per second. Respawn has addressed some of the issues with a recent patch, which appears to have significantly improved things, though stuttering appears to still be an issue for many.