Some rumblings on the internet recently speculated that Epic’s upcoming shooter Bulletstorm had been ‘modified’ for an Australian audience – but after speaking with both EA and the Classification Board, I can confirm that the game has gotten through classification unscathed!
The source of said speculation can be traced to the above – the decision from the Classification Board. If you scroll down you can see that the version seen by the Board has been marked ‘MODIFIED’.
This doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that the game content has been modified in any dramatic way. Speaking to the Classification Board this morning, we were informed that ‘MODIFIED’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘changed’.
“We usually use the word ‘modified’ when we get a second version of the game in for classification,” claimed a Classification Board rep, “and that often happens for a number of different reasons.
“For example, if the game is multi-format, and the Wii version has extra characters, then we’ll term that version ‘MODIFIED’. Same goes for any other extra content – extra levels, stuff like that. It doesn’t have any bearing on the classification itself.”
A quick phonecall to EA confirmed that Bulletstorm’s ‘MODIFIED’ status had nothing to do with the game being altered for the Australian market.
“The game hasn’t changed and is the same as the UK/US titles,” a rep from EA claimed. “The reason it says it’s modified is because of the Bulletstorm Epic Edition and all the extra bits included like the Gears of War 3 Beta.”
Phew! Glad that’s all cleared up. Thanks to all the concerned citizens who alerted us to the situation!
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