The developers of Lies Of P decided that it was best to remove any ‘ACAB’ references from their game, seeking to avoid radical points of view that would cause narrative and even more controversial consequences. Moving away from the risky and controversial take that was part of the original version, developer Round8 Studio and publisher Neowiz Games softened this subversion of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio story into an action video game.
With The Fear Of Any Misunderstanding, ‘ACAB’ Slogan Of Lies Of P Was Removed
For those who may not know exactly what Lies of P is, the project is an upcoming ‘soulslike’ title based on the story of the classic puppet-come-to-life, Pinocchio, originally written by Carlo Collodi but all in a packed style of action and dark scenarios as is common in games of this genre with many fans among the gaming community.
In this new and inventive project, there was a reference to a sensitive subject that could cause quite a controversy. The element in question is a sign in the scene with the letters ‘APAB’, which can be understood as an allusion to the phrase ‘ACAB’, or ‘All Cops Are bastards’, an acronym used as a political slogan associated with people who oppose the police and is typically written as many images in public spaces.
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In the case of the game, ‘APAB’ means “All Puppets Are Bastards” due to the game’s theme involving Pinocchio and his fantastic supporting characters, but it is undoubtedly reminiscent of the anti-police slogan that became popular after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. In relation To this, Ji-Won Choi, director of Lies Of P, concluded that it would be “a little risky” to keep this part in the final product.
Now the sign displayed in the game shows the phrase ‘Purge Puppets’, maintaining the theme but reducing the impact and softening possible backlashes. Although he says he is “passionate” about the social movement, in Choi’s own words: “That was one of the messages we were going to use in the game, but we ended up taking it out,” he said. “We took it out eventually because we wanted everyone to enjoy the game exactly how we intended it to be enjoyed, and not judged based on any trends.”
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Continuing, Choi also stated: “We really wanted the world that we designed to be interpreted by the players exactly how we aimed it to be, so we took out factors that could be a little risky. We respect everyone who might want to play this game, and we wanted everyone to get the best experience out of it.”
One way or another, the controversy helped ignite the hype for Lies Of P, that arrives on September 19th for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, while the early download will be available from on September 17th, being ready to play at the exact launch for those who pre-ordered the standard edition. For players who secure the Deluxe Edition, pre-loading begins on September 14th to start playing on September 16th.
What do you think about this? Are you excited for another Soulslike? Do you think the reference should have been cut? Let us know in the comments!
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