Editing MENA Versions

This page aims to document the various regional differences between Middle East versions (typically Saudi Arabia, but also other Arabic-speaking countries). The information included therein can be useful for mod authors later on, or anyone who might find this useful. I didn't find this documented much elsewhere, partly because of the language barrier, because of cultural preconceptions, and so on. 

It's a shame because the subject elicits a lot of interest, so I'm trying to change this with this article to raise awareness about what these versions are or aren't.

=== Regulations ===
We'll talk about Arabic-speaking countries (around 22 countries, most significantly Saudi Arabia '''(KSA)''', United Arabic Emirates '''(UAE)''', Egypt, Lebanon), and we'll add Iran. 

These are the markets with the most amount of modified game versions. The changes usually stem from Arab-Islamic cultural reasons, and aren't only enforced by the government but also enjoy wild public support. Publishers used to rely on the import market, or selling uncensored versions (with full localization) digitally on foreign stores, at one time openly defying governments and paying influencers to shill how to get the game from countries where it's not banned (responded to with instructions to blacklist any gaming news about major banned games by bigger game review websites), but the sales hit is big enough they decided to eventually start making changes for that market.

Games like the Zelda series (over the use of word "gods") or God of War used to be banned and unbanned unpredictably because of constantly shifting criteria. The Saudi government in collaboration with Sony implemented a ratings board around 2015 with clear criteria for what's acceptable and what isn't. This was a lot more lax compared to the situation before, but there's still other more opaque systems and some games will change content that would technically pass those regulations but would upset local audiences.

==== Objectionable Content ====
Some of the content is simply given age rating increases, although this doesn't keep some localizations from rewriting text associated with it.

* '''Profanity / Criminal Behavior:''' Increases age rating to +16 (KSA), blasphemous insults would be often replaced
* '''Alcohol / Substance Abuse / Gambling:''' Increases age rating to +18 (KSA) but not banned outright
* '''Mild Fanservice:''' Skimpy clothes and jiggle physics will often merely increase the age rating as long as it's not a full beach episode. Iran however is very strict with it and will require women's legs, torso and arms to be covered (some Arab publishers too).
* '''Gore:''' Semi-realistic is +12 (KSA), realistic with blood and brutality is +16 (KSA), mutilation and exposed limb cuts is +18 (KSA)

Some of the content, on the other hand, is an instant sales ban in Saudi Arabia. Other countries don't have explicit rating board provisions for it, sometimes even saying they may "allow everything as a +21 rating" (UAE) but de facto law enforcement and internet service providers will directly request physical and digital stores to take down the content because it's still '''illegal''' under general media laws.

* '''Political content directly tied to local governments:''' Usually if these countries are the settings for these games.
* '''Disrespects Islam / Christianism :''' Used to be, still is sometimes against irreverence to religion in general. Depictions of other religions is allowed within reason (not preaching it, not asking player interactivity in partaking in it). Depictions of holy books and places of worship being disrespected. Games causing sectarian strife between Arabic populations will be banned as well.
* '''Full nudity:''' Visible genitalia, boobs, buttocks, and anything suggesting their shape.
* '''Sex scenes:''' Intercourse shown onscreen. 
* '''Sexual degeneracy:''' This includes LGBT relationships, rejection of the gender binary including pronouns (although they don't ban for intersex and transgenders that just say they're male OR female), incest (doesn't include cousins but does include milk siblings)

Finally, some of the content will be deemed offensive enough they request its removal from all global versions of the game, or the developers do it preemptively. This is generally the case with '''disrespectful depictions of Islam'''.

==== Implementation of the changes ====
The changes are expected to extend over all of the content of the SKU. They're not to be toggled off either through options or alternative languages. This is why '''Middle East versions often come with a unique modified English localization.''' (And stripped off multiple language options as a result). The changes will range from text to entire sidequests and menu options removed. Some graphics will be blurred, swapped, covered up with geometry, or removed altogether.

In some cases, the game developer might decide to prepare an altered Middle East version without any Arabic localization options - it will be just the English version with the Middle East adjustments. Sometimes the English ME localization isn't given much thought (cut text / audio) and the bulk of the changes goes to the Arabic text. And sometimes, the developer prepares alternate versions of the game with no ME adjustments whatsoever and an uncensored Arabic translation with all of the objectionable content: these are usually only sold in European storefronts.

On the unofficial side, there's Iran's situation. No games are sold there so the government gives its blessing to pirate releases selling those games, either with Persian localization or not. However, the government (and the population to some degree) require the same kind of those ME changes, so you end up with a TON of Middle-East patches dating from the PlayStation 1 all the way up to the Switch and PS4. Said patches are often distributed for free by other modders either from Iran or the pan-Arabic sphere, and as of late since the 2010s they mostly cover topics terribly similar to the ones featured in this wiki, but are largely undocumented for now.

=== List of Official Middle-Eastern Versions with notable content changes ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Game
!Platform
!Year
!Availability
!Details
|-
|Rise of the Tomb Raider
|PS4, PC
|2015
|PS4/PC: as a special KSA/UAE version.
Unavailable elsewhere
|Both Arabic and English versions word-swapped all references to a "prophet".
Initially banned by KSA, and cancelled by Square Enix. Sony funded and published the ME version. As a result, it's not available on Xbox devices.
|-
|Shadow of the Tomb Raider
|PS4, PC
|2018
|PS4/PC: as a special KSA/UAE version.
|Other languages removed just like RoTR. Content changes unknown.
|-
|Spiderman (2018)
|PS4, PC
|2018
|PS4-only: KSA, UAE
|Dialog changes removing LGBT themes (pronouns, homosexuality, etc)
However the rainbow flags were NOT changed. Some said there's unused data for them, to be investigated.
|-
|Spiderman: Miles Morales
|PS4, PC
|2019
|PS4-only: KSA, UAE
|Similar to Spiderman (2018).
|-
|Days Gone
|PS4, PC
|2019
|PS4: KSA/UAE (physical, digital)
PC: everywhere (as a language option)
|Selecting the "English (ME)" option gives an alternate English script removing references to religion, a lesbian couple, alcoholism, and tones down blasphemous profanities.
|-
|Sackboy
|PS5, PC
|2020
|PS4: KSA/UAE
|Technically unchanged, and the translation is internally uncensored, but the free DLC for the rainbow costume was never sold in ME markets.
However, the PC version touts itself as an all-in-one complete edition and sneaks that in the Arabic option.
|-
|God of War: Ragnarork
|PS4, PS5
|2022
|PS4/PS5: KSA-only
|The LGBT-tribute sidequest was changed in some way (text? removal?) in the KSA version but not the UAE version which had an unchanged Arabic translation.
|-
|Horizon: Forbidden West
|PS4, PS5
|2022
|PS4/PS5: KSA/UAE
|Text changes related to LGBT themes, although the body language remained unaffected.
|-
|Spiderman 2
|PS5
|2023
|PS5: KSA/UAE/Middle East
|Similar to Spiderman (2018) but going a lot further: rainbow flags were removed, and sidequests involving LGBT themes removed.
Non-Middle East versions offer an uncut Arabic script.
Sony initially wa
|-
|Soul Hackers 2
|PS5
|2022
|PS5-only
|Surprisingly next-to-none religion related (to be confirmed), a mandatory package for KSA versions changes some demon designs, only confirmed one is the phallic-shaped Mara.
|-
|Red Dead Redemption
|PS5, Switch, Xbox Series
|2023
|Console-only: KSA
|Contents to be confirmed.
Game didn't get an Arabic localization, just the ME modifications.
|-
|Red Dead Redemption 2
|PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series
|2022
|Console-only: KSA
|Contents to be confirmed.
Game didn't get an Arabic localization, just the ME modifications.
|-
|Starfield
|PC, Xbox Series
|2023
|Console-only: KSA
|Contents to be confirmed. Mainly LGBT themes and pronouns.
Game didn't get an Arabic localization, just the ME modifications.
|-
|Redfall
|PC, Xbox Series
|2023
|Console-only: KSA
|Contents to be confirmed. "Type A/B" screen was changed to "Sex: Male/Female".
|-
|The Witcher 3
|PS, PS4, PS5, Xbox
|2014
|Multiplatform: KSA/UAE/ME
|Some nudity (bath scenes), language related to religion/alcohol/sexual themes, other content to be confirmed.
Famously banned again then unbanned when it came to light most of the censorship was frontloaded to the first hours of gameplay while the rest of the (not-text related) objectionable content was left alone.
|-
|Cyberpunk 2077
|PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
|
|Multiplatform: KSA/UAE/ME
Other Countries: Toggle (Partial)
|The game got a nudity toggle in global versions, that also have an uncut Arabic script.
The Middle East versions force it always on, remove customization options related to genitalia and sex, as well cutting any interactions involving LGBT themes.
|-
|Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
|-
|Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
Includes removal of Jack the Ripper story in its entirety due to sexual themes.
|-
|Assassin's Creed: Unity
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
|-
|Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed. 
Includes decals covering up 3D statue genitalia (although the collision is unchanged), and removals of dialog branches involving LGBT themes.
|-
|Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
|-
|Far Cry 4
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
|-
|Far Cry 5
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
Separate uncut Arabic translation included in other versions.
|-
|Far Cry 6
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
Separate uncut Arabic translation included in other versions.
|-
|Hogwarts Legacy
|
|
|
|Contents to be confirmed.
Some terms were swapped in dialogs to avoid LGBT themes. A similar fix happened for the Russian localization.
|}

==== Games that were NOT altered for the Middle-East ====

* '''Watch Dogs 2:''' Full Arabic localization. Unchanged, including LGBT content and frontal nudity. Ended up banned in most of the ME except for a few countries.
* '''The Last of Us Remastered:''' Not localized. Somehow allowed in KSA but not UAE (although these are often Sony PlayStore decisions often overturned by law enforcement), includes an unmodified Left Behind scenario, despite that DLC being banned in its original version back when the original Last of Us got a KSA/UAE release. (The Last of Us 2 was banned in ALL of the ME).
* '''Horizon: Burning Shores:''' DLC for Horizon Forbidden West. Full Arabic localization. Unchanged, including LGBT content. Was allowed in some ME countries without rating boards by Sony's PlayStore and ways to circumvent the KSA/UAE ban were heavily promoted by Sony and affiliated influencers.
* '''Final Fantasy XVI:''' Full Arabic localization. Unchanged, including LGBT content, nudity, religious content. Same marketing strategy as Horizon Burning Shores, however general public reaction was fairly negative and most game journalists refused covering it, alongside Spiderman 2 which Sony was initially planning on the exact same strategy and even posting tentative "+21 UAE" ratings suggesting it would keep its LGBT themes, with the same results (initially banned in all of the ME).
* '''Demon's Souls Remastered:''' Full Arabic localization. Despite the unchanged "Type A/B" it wasn't banned.
* '''Assassin's Creed Mirage:''' Full Arabic localization, with 1:1 content parity, including some mild religious content. The game got a separate voice actor for its Arabic and English language options, and while the English actor is part of the LGBT community that individual wasn't used in the game's local promotion. Some historical events were referred to with vague terms to avoid offending some religious sensibilities.
* '''Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World:''' The Arabic localization was announced then quietly cancelled, and the game itself never released in the ME even untranslated.

=== List of Unofficial Middle-Eastern Versions ===
Largely undocumented, and mostly from Iran. 

=== Archival Efforts ===
Despite the attention around this kind of modifications, and the value of extracting the files and converting them to patches usable on ANY version, not just specific regions and platforms... no attempt was seriously made to preserve and document them, aside from some posts on imageboards around the time Nexus Mods started rejecting Spiderman mods.