MotorStorm: Apocalypse delayed in Europe out of respect for Japanese tsunami

News - Sony take the sensitive approach

Sony has decided to delay the release of their latest racer, MotorStorm: Apocalypse in sympathy over the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.

Given that the game features a city based on San Francisco that has been devastated by natural disasters, Sony had felt that it would be best to postpone the launch of the game as a mark of respect for the plight of those in Japan who have been affected by the earthquake and subsequent tidal wave.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened to see the impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and our thoughts are with all those affected, including our colleagues within the Sony family, living and working throughout Japan."

It continued: "We are very conscious of the parallels between these events and the underlying theme in Motorstorm and are doing everything we can to be as sensitive as possible to the situation. Although the game itself is already in distribution, we are ceasing any further shipments and removing as much of the marketing materials as possible."

On the postponement it added: "Although we have shipped the game into the channel last week, given that we are able to do so, we have chosen to postpone the launch in the UK. In the meantime we will continue to monitor the situation very closely."

Thanks GamesIndustry.biz.