Yostar, the publisher of Azur Lane, has announced the removal of five specific character skins from the English version of the game. This decision comes in response to compliance issues with Google Play Store policies, sparking widespread discussions and some confusion among the game’s fanbase.
The affected skins include fan-favorite designs such as Shinano’s “Visions of Fantasy (L2D)” and Atago’s “Summer March (L2D).” The removal is set to take effect on January 4, 11:59 PM (UTC-7). Players who have already purchased these skins will retain ownership, but they will no longer be available for purchase after the deadline.
Why is Yostar retiring content? it might be linked to the depiction of alcohol in certain skins, or nudity which could conflict with Google Play’s content guidelines. This situation is kind of similar in the Chinese version of the game, where skins are sometimes sold briefly before permanent removal.
Now, the interesting thing is that many, but many gacha games have similar designs, it seems that the line that establishes the limit between what is censurable and not, may be changing and with it the design of games to come.
