Left 4 Dead 2 has been refused classification in Australia in a decision announced by the Classification Board this morning.
You can see for yourself over on the Board’s website. The RC classification means Left 4 Dead 2 contains content that the Board deemed exceeds the guidelines for an MA15+ classification.
No details on what that content might be are available as yet.
We have contacted distributor Electronic Arts and will update you as soon as we can.
UPDATE: An EA spokesperson has told us they “are still working through the submission process with OFLC and want to explore all opportunities before making any comment.”
UPDATE: We’ve now seen the Board’s report. Head here to find out why Left 4 Dead 2 was banned.
[Thanks Andrew and Josh]
nzjono
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:59 AMJust import it from New Zealand. Takes only a few days. Try trademe.co.nz most people there will post to Australia.
J.NizZle05
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 11:03 AMey why ban it u think us australians are bad thats just racist to us and y cant u just make it R 18+ like u are goen to reck alot of peopels game life and have u seen Call of Dutty WAW
nazzi zombies huh didnt think so have u seen thier gaw and thier violence u should make that
R18+ aswelll like u dont let us have any fun checking out the wepons and zombies thats just uncalled for im just asking plz make it an R18+ or change graphics.
David Wildgoose
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 11:09 AMWhat?
Jordan
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:59 AMYeah I’m thinking it’s due to something about melee weapons and post-mortem decapitation, those guys hate that.
Well I was already planning on MW2 over L4D 2 anyway…
k'Fox
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:59 AMLmao XD Whoever is/was boycotting L4D2 must be having a field day with an entire country forcing a nation-wide ban. Nothing ever was said about blocking the program being accessable via net downloads.
For all those thinking about importing, there are some country exclusive titles and I was told by Play-asia that Valve had for when I was trying to import L4D in at the time and I’m guessing that they are also going to do.
Wait for NZ to make their judgement and import it from there if it is even remotely possible otherwise, a direct dl from Steam would be your main option.
The cost of Freedom is Freedom itself… what irony…
Aaron Clement
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:59 AM:facepalm:
Paulie R
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:00 AMOh boy, here we go.
I can see this causing many, many, many people to go balistic and destroy the classification board. Really, I do.
Yet another case of australia getting the shaft. Dont say we didnt see it coming.
Paulie R
NewGuy
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:03 AMOn their website:
How can I make a complaint about a classification decision?
You can make a complaint about a classification decision by writing to us by post, fax or email.
Contact details:
By Post: Locked Bag 3 Haymarket, New South Wales, 1240
By Fax: (02) 9289 7101
By Email: enquiries@classification.gov.au
chuloopa
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:05 AMWell importing American PC copy, here i come!
this is such BS… seriously gamers, get off your asses and do something or we will forever be forced to feed on this shit.
I mean, it’s shooting zombies ffs… whats so wrong with that?
If we could have LFD1, why not LFD2?
Hayden Price
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:06 AMhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=130655792935
I’ve created a Facebook group for this. I’m looking for people to contribute to an open letter, as gamers of Australia, to send to the Classification Board.
But this is ridiculous. This entire rating system is so inconsistent. Yet we keep putting up with it. There has got to be something we can do. Hell, I don’t even care about L4D2, its the fact the first one come out without issue as have so many other WORSE games. Rubbish like this makes me so angry to live here.
opm881
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:08 AMWhy can I foresee a mass amount of people ordering it from american based online companies who will ship the american version. Only question is, will valve be able to tell the difference and stop those who imported it from playing the imported version in australia unless they get a “censor patch”
Mwahahaha
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:10 AMPretty terrible news, but maybe it’ll finally open the floodgates wide enough for us to get that R18 rating. But that’s not going to happen without action – so here’s what people have to do:
Go down to your local MPs office (federal would be best, but state MPs can help too) and bring up the R18 ratings thing as a freedom of speech/media issue. While you’re doing this, make sure that you have statistics about proportions of people who support R18 ratings for games, and point out that trying to get action on it will win a lot of votes for anyone who does. It isn’t the Rudd Labor government’s fault that games are getting banned, far from it, it’s the ratings system, but the parliament does have the capacity to legislate to fix it. If individuals start bring up the issue as a major, vote-determining issue, then there’s every chance that the politicians, on both sides, will act to fix the problem.
athe
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 12:39 PMActually, parliament have virtually no power in this – it comes down to a 100% agreement between Attorneys General to change the classification system. Of course, there is a single AG, one M Atkinson, that is not willing to see the majority view on this…
Ayrton Coll
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 1:56 PMAlthough technically the whole system is voluntary for states, so try and convince your state attorney general to do their own thing, like the ACT with X rated movies.
sbob
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:14 AMSeriously. It is beyond idiotic that one man can, through personal, stubborn, and incorrect beliefs regarding “protecting children”, manage to allow this sort of nonsense to continue. This sort of thing truly does make Australia an international laughing stock. “Oh no, quick, protect all those grown adults in Australia from being able to kill computer animated zombies!!!!”
It really does seem more and more like we are one step away from communist China here these days. Banned games, censored internet, banned and over censored movies, get fracked. Where is the stop button, I want to get off this ride.
none
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:14 AM“On the bright side, hopefully Valve will release an Australian-specific edition that changes the game so it gets into Australia.”
Pass. I wish game makers would stop watering down their games for Aus. Games are a form of art and art shouldn’t be tampered with! If game makers refused to modify games for different markets then it would force Aus to bring their ridiculous classification system into the 21st century.
Twisted
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:14 AMYou know what.
I was playing left 4 dead the other day and straight afterwards I went on a rampage. I dismembered most of my neighbours before purchasing a black market gun which I then used to blow up some petrol stations.
Now I know why they have the classifications.
And there I was thinking that the classification board was a load of trumped up bu*$s%3t artists.
Not happy.
JazzDawg
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:16 AMI’m so pissed at the CB right now, i was really looking forward to this
Andrew Gleeson
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:17 AMAs much as this sucks, it wouldn’t have happened if they had been working on HL2:Ep3 instead of making a new IP AND a sequel to said new IP… without giving us any news whatsoever on Ep3.
ChoM
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:18 AMyour kidding me
satyr
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:18 AMa new assignment for the iGEA?
Really hope New Zealand passes this and get countless thousands of aussie dollars from gamers importing it. Why would they ban it, they’d just classify it as R18+ like every other f**king country would!
As a huge LFD fan, i’m shattered. It’s personal now..
bazuden
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:19 AMI guess they made killing zombies in LFD2 look too much like killing zombies in real life…
Robert Sakaluk
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:21 AMI’m guessing this is because of the chainsaw, but really how different can this be from L4D 1?
Le_Gambit
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:22 AMBecause apparently killing something that is already dead, ala name UNdead, is worse than killing real people or playing sex (ala GTA 4)
WaveOfMutilation
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:23 AMWhat can we do to voice our discontent to the government?
Jarrard
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:26 AMa poll needs to be started to send in to ABS about having no R18+ rating for games in Australia.
How they can feel that they can choose what adults can and can’t play is beyond me. it says 18+ so it isnt allowed for children.
Liam Moushall
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:39 AMI have lost count of the number of petitions I have signed on the issue.
James
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 3:41 PMThere has been plans to release a public discussion paper on this issue for the past year or so which would give people a way to express their opinion on this.
However, the State Attorneys General have not managed to all agree on the content of the discussion paper, so it hasn’t been released yet.
If you are after a poll or referendum, then you probably want the AEC rather than the ABS.
Tristan Birkinshaw
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:28 AMAnd so what happens to my pre-order, hmm?
FatShady
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:28 AMI am 28… I want to play it… Very frustrating?
Lachlan
Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 11:29 AMI would like to see a no blood no gore except for boomer explosion cut version. It would be pretty sweet less visual noise.