Watch Dogs 2 is a game that features a lot of adult content, whether you’re looking at the debate it promotes around freedom of information and freedom of speech, or just good, old-fashioned, GTA-style violence. And it also has some nudity in it. Nudity that Sony doesn’t seem to want people sharing, as some have received temporary bans for sharing images of Watch Dogs 2 NPCs in the buff.
Although there are some games that have nudity as part of the main story, or as part of a sexual/relationship side-quest system, for most it’s a fun Easter egg or joke. Watch Dogs has some elements of all of that, with nudists in some parts of the game, while in other parts nude drunk guys are peeing on walls. But whether you snap pictures of them, or happen to blow a poor lady’s skirt off in an explosion, sharing those images might not be advisable.
NeoGAF user Goron2000 was banned from all PlayStation Network online features — a rather important aspect for a game about hacking — for sharing a screenshot of fully rendered genitalia on several female non-player characters (NPCs).
“We’re writing to inform you that your Sony Entertainment Network account has been temporarily suspended,” the email Goron2000 received reads. “We’re made this decision based on your online activity in Live from PlayStation on 4-11-2016. Content of an adult of sexual nature is against our Code of Conduct.”
Although it sounds like Goron2000 used the Live from PlayStation feature to capture the image, by Goron2000’s own words they shared it on Twitter. It’s not clear if Sony picked up the nudity from the original screengrab, or if it was from the publicity generated by the tweeted shot.
Regardless, it hasn’t stopped other people from taking similar snaps from the game and posting them online and even taking a few videos (you’ll have to look for those yourself). It’s not clear at this time if Sony plans to suspend everyone who posts a screengrab from a PlayStation version of the game, or if it was just because Goron2000 posted it before the game was officially released.
Ubisoft is aware of the issue according to Eurogamer, but Sony has yet to issue a statement.
What we do know for sure though, is that there is realistically depicted nudity in Watch Dogs 2 and users are taking pictures of this for personal use. Considering it’s a game all about hacking, that seems rather appropriate.