Statement: Why there will ne no nudity in the game

[AssembleGames-Whitman]

Hello,

A lot of fans asked why there will be no nudity in the sequel (as there was no in Wet Dreams Don't Dry as well).

We had this discussion for our previous Larry game and our opinion has not changed.
We have not developed the older Larry titles before WDDD but Wet Dreams Don't Dry and Wet Dreams Dry Twice are Larry games we wanted to make and we do not want to have nudity in the game. That would be not our approach, not what we wanted to achieve. Yes, some or many fans do not like it. But we think we have proven that we handled the Larry IP (which we do not own; we have licensed it) very good, that we have listened to the fans and implemented in WDDD a lot of things from the older Larry titles. But to make a Larry game with nudity, that is not our Larry title, sorry.

PLUS it would be a problem with age rating, especially for possible console versions (We have not yet decided about console versions but we had a PS4 and Switch version for Wet Dreams Don't Dry). IF we had nudity in the PC version we would have to delete it completely from a console version. Otherwise we would get an Adult Only rating for the consoles and no Adult Only games are allowed on consoles so we would not be able to sell it.
So, the only solution would be to censor our own game, to cut out all the nudity to get a Mature rating (like WDDD received) to be allowed to distribute our game on consoles.
That would be A. very unfair to the console gamers because they would play a less content and censored version of the game and B. also quite a lot of additional work because we would need to edit and port new versions especially for consoles.

To be honest, it is not about the extra work (which would also be extra costs), we just don't want to have two different versions of the same game, that would be absolutely unfair to possible console customers.

BUT the main (and only) reason is - as mentioned above - that we do not want to make a Larry game with nudity.

Cheers,
Stefan Marcinek
Founder & CEO
Assemble Entertainment

[sunglare77]

You can think you handled the IP good but you haven't, you're not staying true to the soul of a Larry game. And stop hiding behind rating boards as a an excuse to censor games. You can have nudity and get an M rating. Console games have naked women in it. I see you're video on the store page as no problem showing a mans ass.

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi sunglare77,
thank you for sharing your feedback.
However, we really appreciate all kind of feedback, spamming it across different threads does not make any sense, nor changes our decision in any kind of way.

Maybe you simply have to stick to those games, that have the M rating and/or nudity all over the place, if this is what you are looking for.

-cheers

[v00d00m4n]

PS4 and other consoles has a lot of games with nudity, ratings does not matter anymore as retail stores are almost dead and majority of sales are digital, and age control here is almost non existent. Actually for steam release you dont even need to rate you game with some org like ERSB, you are basically self publishing whatever you want here.

Also its old well known practice to censore game where there is no other way but keep full uncut version where censorship unneeded, so PC platform should not be hostage of console restriction if we can imagine them are so tight and real as you descibe.

I strongly suggest to extend both games with nudity at least on pc, if you dont want to make it part of core game - release extra nude content as DLC for PC only.

You can always do it like Manga ♥♥♥ Laud devs did - 2 editions, censored and uncut, but with dlc as unlocker because its better than keep separate builds.

Nudity in Lary is essential part of series as Light sabers in Star Wars as tiberium in C&C, as Delorean in Back to the Future.

Also nudity in lary is main motivator and reward for players effort, we all played Lary games as teens (adults too, but i was teen back then) to see the nudity, and when we did it was a reward.

Your game while, to be honnest , in general is good - lacking this motivator and reward and this factor alone makes it feel more dissapointing than mediocre Manga ♥♥♥ Laude, which had meh gameplay, but there was nudity as reward that gave more motivation to play it than i feel in your game. Larry is not that kind of game that has super interesting story to motivate to play it without good reward, basically it just set of ongoing gags.

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi Voodooman,
as we really appreciate your passion and dedication for Larry in general, please do not spam your opinion on this and several other threads.
You made your point clear and this is totally fine, yet this will not change our decision and course, neither with the current Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry, nor for his upcoming adventure, Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice.
If you are looking for some kind of all in nudity/erotic game, there might be several others you can surely have a look into, as you have stated yourself.

Summed up: As with our decision, it has shown, that it was appreciated by the players and fans and we will stick to this decision and formula, which was appreciated the way we have developed the game and developing the next adventure of Larry.

-cheers

[AssembleGames-Whitman]

Originally posted by Voodooman:

PS4 and other consoles has a lot of games with nudity, ratings does not matter anymore as retail stores are almost dead and majority of sales are digital, and age control here is almost non existent. Actually for steam release you dont even need to rate you game with some org like ERSB, you are basically self publishing whatever you want here.

Also its old well known practice to censore game where there is no other way but keep full uncut version where censorship unneeded, so PC platform should not be hostage of console restriction if we can imagine them are so tight and real as you descibe.

I strongly suggest to extend both games with nudity at least on pc, if you dont want to make it part of core game - release extra nude content as DLC for PC only.

You can always do it like Manga ♥♥♥ Laud devs did - 2 editions, censored and uncut, but with dlc as unlocker because its better than keep separate builds.

Nudity in Lary is essential part of series as Light sabers in Star Wars as tiberium in C&C, as Delorean in Back to the Future.

Also nudity in lary is main motivator and reward for players effort, we all played Lary games as teens (adults too, but i was teen back then) to see the nudity, and when we did it was a reward.

Your game while, to be honnest , in general is good - lacking this motivator and reward and this factor alone makes it feel more dissapointing than mediocre Manga ♥♥♥ Laude, which had meh gameplay, but there was nudity as reward that gave more motivation to play it than i feel in your game. Larry is not that kind of game that has super interesting story to motivate to play it without good reward, basically it just set of ongoing gags.

Regarding age ratings, please check facts before posting. You need an age rating for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, it does not matter if retail or online distribution.

If a game is rated Adult Only by ESRB you are not allowed to get your games on the e-stores.
Larry Wet Dreams Don‘t Dry received a Mature rating (which is ok) but it was revoked after the release on Switch and PS4 and was changed into an Adult only rating. And thus WDDD was de-listed from Nintendo amd Sony store for a couple of weeks. After we had changed one scene we have received the Mature rating again and the game was back in the Switch and PS4 online store.

So we can not make an Adult Only game on consoles like previous Larry games with easter eggs, nudity etc. And as mentioned we a. do not want to make different versions of the same game (i.e. censor it on consoles maybe later) and b. - and that is the only reason - we do not want to make a Larry game with nudity at all. It is not how we see our Larry approach and games. So sorry. If you do not like it, don‘t buy it and move on.

[tomk1]

Mary Whitehouse would be so proud. well done, well done, a one handed clap, well well done.

[「esq.ai」]

If you don't listen to the real fans you are going broke.

[SteveHNo96]

Thanks for saving me money. Prepare for another <20,000 seller!

Regarding age ratings, please check facts before posting. You need an age rating for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, it does not matter if retail or online distribution.

If a game is rated Adult Only by ESRB you are not allowed to get your games on the e-stores.
Larry Wet Dreams Don‘t Dry received a Mature rating (which is ok) but it was revoked after the release on Switch and PS4 and was changed into an Adult only rating. And thus WDDD was de-listed from Nintendo amd Sony store for a couple of weeks. After we had changed one scene we have received the Mature rating again and the game was back in the Switch and PS4 online store.

So we can not make an Adult Only game on consoles like previous Larry games with easter eggs, nudity etc. And as mentioned we a. do not want to make different versions of the same game (i.e. censor it on consoles maybe later) and b. - and that is the only reason - we do not want to make a Larry game with nudity at all. It is not how we see our Larry approach and games. So sorry. If you do not like it, don‘t buy it and move on.

Did you bother to explain what happened to get the AO rating?

You did not get an AO rating because of nudity in the game. In fact, you had such a tame amount of it that it was considered okay to play. The game was censored and forced to be removed because you had Larry on his hands and knees performing oral sex on a demon statue after fiddling around with ♥♥♥♥ for a while.

If I have to explain to you the difference between some tame nudity and a sex act, then seriously, just give up the IP and let someone who understands the game have a go.

Many games including 6 games in the God of War series, Waifu Uncovered and The Witcher did have nudity in the game, in fact, many people did clamor for it. It's pretty bad when the women on your design team wanted more nudity than you gave. You did it because you're from a part of Europe that was simp'ed out by Angela Merkel, plain and simple.

Did you genuinely think that you could do a scene, even for LOLs where a guy is giving head to a statue and get away with that? Even the 2013 remake knew when to draw the line -- if you tried to click the zipper on Fawn's lips, it would say "Yeah! The Entertainment Software Ratings Board would totally allow this to happen!"

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi SteveHNo96,
there are more than enough official statements around, giving the highest degree of transparency, what the reasonings are of our Larry, ratings and our approach and decision, how we do Larry.
Therefore, please feel free reading those properly, besides starting this discussion over and over, without reason, as we have replied to this question and our reasonings more than enough.
If you do not agree and/or don't feel those are enough, there is nothing more we can do or tell.
Therefore, if you are looking for something else, it seems like Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice seems not like the game you are looking for.

Thank you in advance.

-cheers

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi androrix,
thank you for your feedback. Why editing, that would be hypocritcial, don't you think?
As I have mentioned already, we read your feedback and explained more than once and in detail, about the reasonings of our decision and gave details on ratings and more. More tranparency is simply impossible and more than you might get from any other publisher/developer, especially on Steam.
Yet, jumping on this topic, in most cases simply in order of bashing the game, is not the right thing, after getting more than one response on your questions.

It seems like players tend to look for something in Larry, that was never present and is going further away from Larry, than getting closer.
As it seems the aspect of nudity seems to weight more for some, rather than the core of the game, which is Larry and his adventures and the telling of those adventures.
Not to mention, that references are taken for games, that have totally nothing in common to Larry, besides budget, it is also simply the seize of development teams. Comparing a Witcher, a multi-million dollar game, with hundreds of developers involved compared to an indie-game like Larry, with less then ten developers.

Therefore and summed up, it is not rude, telling players, that seem to look into some erotic game, that includes plain nudity rather than story and Larry, that they might have a look into something else.
Especially, as those claim there are supposedly so many games doing this and providing the wants and needs, to simply stick to those games, if there are so many games doing, what those players want to play.

We stick to our decision and the way we think best fitting for Larry and did well, as also can be seen by the feedback from the community that we did well with our approach with Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry (84% Steam Reviews) and will be continued the same way for Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice.

Thank you for your feedback, passion and dedication.

-cheers

[sexdope]

this game is clearly for adults. and its meaning is reduced to a meaning that suits adults. when you add censorship, what goals do you follow? that children will buy it? I guess I think so, then the question is, do you want the children to learn from the hero what he demonstrates? I think this is immoral in relation to children and their parents.

and if you want to make a game for adults, then why do you introduce censorship and remove nudity from it, which is familiar to all adults and is sometimes a pleasant pastime? I think you as developers are very notorious and you do not have enough liberation, then the question is, why did you start developing this game if you are so prim? or do you still want to teach this to children under the pretext that the game has no nudity

without nudity, this game loses a very large part of its meaning, nudity is a joy, it logically follows from the plot, and you stop at half a word like television in primetime with these scenes.

in a word, even if you don't do the patch, then you will do the wrong thing with the hero of this game, who over a glass of ale himself would gladly tell about the adventures that happened to him in the place where you said the word censorship.

[Assemble_Skoddy]

Originally posted by c3kc:

this game is clearly for adults. and its meaning is reduced to a meaning that suits adults. when you add censorship, what goals do you follow? that children will buy it? I guess I think so, then the question is, do you want the children to learn from the hero what he demonstrates? I think this is immoral in relation to children and their parents.

and if you want to make a game for adults, then why do you introduce censorship and remove nudity from it, which is familiar to all adults and is sometimes a pleasant pastime? I think you as developers are very notorious and you do not have enough liberation, then the question is, why did you start developing this game if you are so prim? or do you still want to teach this to children under the pretext that the game has no nudity :lolslime:

without nudity, this game loses a very large part of its meaning, nudity is a joy, it logically follows from the plot, and you stop at half a word like television in primetime with these scenes.

in a word, even if you don't do the patch, then you will do the wrong thing with the hero of this game, who over a glass of ale himself would gladly tell about the adventures that happened to him in the place where you said the word censorship.

I really don't wanna sound mean, but did you even read what Whitman wrote? He said exactly, why nudity would be a problem and why there is no nudity. :D

Originally posted by AssembleGames-Whitman:

So we can not make an Adult Only game on consoles like previous Larry games with easter eggs, nudity etc. And as mentioned we a. do not want to make different versions of the same game (i.e. censor it on consoles maybe later) and b. - and that is the only reason - we do not want to make a Larry game with nudity at all. It is not how we see our Larry approach and games. So sorry. If you do not like it, don‘t buy it and move on.

So, primarily it's not about children, but about the need to censor the game for consoles, if we would add nudity. Also, we don't want to add nudity in general, because that's not what larry is about in our opinion. There won't be nudity.

[sexdope]

Originally posted by Assemble_Skoddy:

I really don't wanna sound mean, but did you even read what Whitman wrote? He said exactly, why nudity would be a problem and why there is no nudity. :D

good, but then it's boring if you don't want to do nudity or a patch for steam, who needs such a game? is going to be another type of fun game that has to have boobs but don't.

look this game https://steamcommunity.com/app/811890/screenshots/ is very fun and beautiful. ur live stream have 59 users because not have nudity i think.

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi c3kc,
still this has been sorted and explained in detail quite often now, why this is not going to happen.
Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry, as well as the upcoming Wet Dreams Dry Twice are also very fun aned beautiful, and as you can see by the reviews and feedback we have received is appreciated and loved by the fans and players, with this approach and without the explicit nudity.
Once again, thank you for the feedback, but we have made this decision, where as transparent as possible regarding the reasonings and our decision and such, and there will be not changes regarding this.

-cheers

[scythewielder]

I think the explanation is reasonable.

I happen to like games with nudity myself, but I agree that was usually only a very small part of the original Larry titles. An extra or easter egg, so something that was hidden and optional rather than mandatory.

Ironically, MCL probably had the largest amount of nudity, at least in the "uncut" version, but it was also very far removed from the earlier games in the series. It didn't feel like a real Larry game.

In short, I don't think whether the upcoming game will be good or bad depends on this aspect. I do hope the developers will take into account other types of feedback regarding their previous game though, for the sake of improving the sequel.