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Deadly Premonition 2 Patch Partially Addresses Transphobic Content

Rising Star Games, Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, and Toybox's Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise game implemented its Version 1.0.2 patch on Tuesday. A week ago, Swery stated on Twitter that the intent of the patch is to correct a problem in the script that unintentionally "hurt transgender people."

Swery made another statement after the implementation of the patch, clarifying that "I didn't change the important point of the story of this work, and I was able to make changes only where I wanted to make corrections. Therefore, I am confident that fans who were worried that 'this fix may change the essence of the game' will be reassured." The patch also fixes bugs/glitches that the team was aware of, and Swery stated they plan to "gradually improve" the frame rate.

In the game's original version, protagonist Francis York Morgan misgenders and deadnames a trans woman named Lena in an attempt to provoke her, despite declaring himself a supporter of trans identity in a different scene. Other characters also misgender Lena in other parts of the story, although they are portrayed in a negative light.

According to Kotaku UK journalist Laura Kate Dale, the patched version cuts York's line stating Lena's deadname in the bar scene. The scene then proceeds as originally depicted, with Lena discussing her deadname (now unprompted). The game has not changed any voice-over lines, nor have any other scenes appear to have been changed. Other instances where York misgenders the character to describe her pre-transition also remain in the script.

The game launched physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch worldwide on July 10. Swery is directing and designing the open-world mystery game. He is also writing the screenplay with Kenji Goda.

Rising Star Games describes the new game:

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is an open-world game set in the small town of Le Carré. Your story starts in Boston, where it turns out FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan will have to revisit the case he thought was solved in 2005. You will be solving various murders and crimes while jumping between 2005 and 2019 in true Deadly Premonition fashion.

Rising Star Games is publishing the game in the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand, while Toybox is publishing the game in Japan and Asia.

Source: Swery's Twitter account