The team behind the upcoming life simulation game InZOI has officially patched out a controversial bug that allowed players to run over and kill child NPCs using vehicles. The issue sparked immediate backlash online, especially given the game’s ESRB Teen rating and intended family-friendly tone.
Krafton, the studio behind InZOI, responded quickly, issuing a hotfix and releasing a public statement calling the bug “highly inappropriate.” According to the devs, the behavior was unintentional and did not reflect the creative vision or values of the game.
“This issue was caused by an unintended bug that has been resolved in the latest patch. These depictions are highly inappropriate and do not reflect the intent and values of InZOI,” the studio stated.
The incident raised eyebrows about how such an oversight made it past QA and internal review processes, especially for a game marketed as a life sim inspired by titles like The Sims. In the wake of the controversy, Krafton announced plans to strengthen their internal checks and testing pipelines to prevent similar issues from surfacing again.
Interestingly, the ESRB’s description of InZOI already mentions that characters can die from environmental events like car accidents — but makes no specific reference to child NPCs. This only added fuel to the debate around content suitability and rating accuracy.
InZOI is currently in early access on PC, with console versions expected later for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Despite the bug and its quick removal, the game continues to draw attention for its ambitious take on the life simulation genre — albeit now under a sharper spotlight.
