Naughty Dog confirms The Last of Us was censored for PAL territories

Following suspicion from players that some of the more graphic content found in the critically acclaimed The Last of Us was different in the North American and European versions of the game, a Naughty Dog spokesperson has confirmed that PAL editions were toned down to meet legal requirements in their respective regions.

The comments, made to user Ramify by Naughty Dog developer EvangM said: "1. The gore and violence ratings are subject to local regulatory boards in various countries, so the game must be slightly changed in order to accomodate [sic] those choices.

2. To be honest, I'm not sure what version Australia is getting. If you import the North/South American version, it will not be censored, but EU/UK will be."

Posters on both the PlayStation and Naughty Dog forums expressed concern over differing animations when performing executions, the removal of enemy limb dismemberment, and the amount of blood spray experienced when killing another player during multiplayer matches.

GameSpot contacted Sony Computer Entertainment, seeking clarification as to the specific differences for the game between regions. A spokesperson was unable to comment at time of publication.