Though we don't currently know why, the Saudi background characters in the PlayStation 4 version of Beyond: Two Souls appear to have been changed from the original PlayStation 3 release. Specifically, these characters now have lighter skin, a strange change to make if it is indeed intentional.
Eurogamer spotted the changes and has posted several comparison screen shots, taken from a Digital Foundry analysis of the two games side-by-side. The moments from the game in question are when Ellen Page's character, acting as a CIA agent, is tasked with infiltrating an embassy and stealing documents from the Sheik.
The Sheik's guards all appear to have lighter skin tones, as do some of the Saudi guests. While other character models have had their outfits or hair tweaked, it seems only the Saudi characters have had their skin color changed. Curiously, the Sheik himself appears just as he did in the PS3 version.
It seems an awfully strange thing to change, and one that is sure to cause some controversy. Some gamers over on the gaming forum NeoGAF speculate it may be a bug, or a case of "model swapping," in which the game is pulling from a set of different character models.
From what we've seen, the models look the same. The Saudi characters, each and every one, aside from the Sheik, have a lighter skin tone in the PS4 release. In a time when Egyptian gods are cast as almost universally white in Hollywood films, it's disappointing to see whitewashing happening after the fact, if that is indeed what is going on here. Sony has yet to comment on the changes. In the screen shot below, the PS4 version of the game is on the left half of the image.
Beyond: Two Souls for PS4 arrived on Nov. 24, with developer Quantic Dream's other PS3 release, Heavy Rain, set to arrive on PS4 in March. You can watch the Digital Foundry comparison video below.
