Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Suda 51 thinks sexuality may not deserve such taboo treatment in video games, and that a sexual undercurrent effectively expresses "a certain element" in his upcoming title Killer is Dead, he told Eurogamer.
Suda noted that sexuality and related elements are treated differently in Japan than they are in Western cultures, whereas in the latter they tend to be more subdued.
"I don't really use [sex] as something full frontal, but sexuality is a good way to express a certain element in the game," he said. "Maybe sexuality in games shouldn't be as big a taboo, but at the same time I live in a country where sexuality is pretty crazy."
Killer is Dead's "Gigolo mode," where protagonist Mondo can complete various side missions revolving around interactions with a handful of women, would likely be controversial in a Western game, Suda said.
"I think Western publishers do similar things, like with [Grand Theft Auto], going out to a strip club and other things," he said. "But I do understand that if a Western developer was to create something like [Gigolo mode] it could backfire."
Killer is Dead is slated to release worldwide this summer for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Check out our preview of the title here.