Firewatch came out on Xbox One this week.
Correction: it came out in just about every other region besides Australia.
Why the delay? Apparently there’s a small issue with classification.
It’s a strange one, because Firewatch has already been classified. It was rated M back in February this year, when it was first released for the PlayStation 4.
Yesterday the game’s developers Campo Santo tweeted this out:
Good morning afternoon, Australia & NZ! Firewatch is going to be available on Xbox One as soon as we can get it rated down there. Apologies!
— Campo Santo (@camposanto) September 21, 2016
And then clarified a rough timeline:
@camposanto It’ll be absolutely as soon as possible, hopefully in the next 10-14 days.
— Campo Santo (@camposanto) September 21, 2016
Almost certainly there’s no real issue here. We’ve contacted Campo Santo for more details on precisely what the issue is, but almost certainly it’s to do with new content and a need to classify new content. The Xbox One version of the game offers a ‘Firewatch Audio Tour’, which didn’t feature in the original. Perhaps this is the issue with the Classification Board.
Either way, should be sorted within a couple of weeks.
Comments
15 responses to “Firewatch Is Having Classification Issues In Australia”
IARC?
Asking this completely blind:
Did Campo Santo even know about this:
https://iq.intel.com.au/fixing-australias-game-rating-system-for-the-digital-age/
From what I am reading, it’s s a simple tick and flick?
Aussie dev/pub here, just wanted to chime in and say that IARC only works if you submit through Google App Store, Firefox, Windows Store or Nintendo eShop. Even then it’s also painful if you then want to take that classification and apply it to the exact same game on another platform, etc, which is why (for the time being given the platforms that take advantage of it) IARC is fairly useless for mainstream console games, etc.
“While the pilot is scheduled to end on June 30…”
I don’t think you can apply using that system at the moment.
Looking at: http://www.classification.gov.au/Industry/Journey/Pages/CGnonAJourney.aspx
it’s possible that they thought that adding the extra sound track counted as a “minor and/or technical modification” and so classification would not be necessary, only to later be informed otherwise.
Not the first Xbox One game this has affected, either. Both Rebel Galaxy and Oxenfree were affected by similar ‘misunderstandings’.
Can’t you just change the region in the system menu?
I buy almost all of my games off the US store with a US gift card, it never gives me any grief and you can get games that aren’t available in Aus.
If we all did that then what would be the point of even having a localised shop portal on the console? That we all had to buy in this country to begin with?
And also one of the Jackbox Party Packs.
This happened with The Witness and the Turing Test as well!! Much anticipation was met with much disappointment :l
And Oceanhorn! And many others. So much gnashing of teeth has been happening lately over this for many titles :/.
Apparently the same thing happened with the Xbox one version of the witness. Meant to have come out on the 13th of September (although for some reason kotaku didn’t even have a story announcing the game was coming out on Xbox)
Man, is it just me or has the classification system gone way overboard, particularly this year? So many games, particularly digitally, are being held up big time by the board. Not to mention Australia is the only country in the world to outright ban some games. I get the feeling this is only the beginning of something heading in a direction it shouldn’t be…
So due to our bass-ackwards rating system, Xbone owners don’t get or at least have to wait even longer for games like SUPERHOT, The Witness, Turing Test and now Firewatch.
But hey buck up fellas, at least we can play instant classics like Obliteracers, Baseball Riot and Tiny Troopers RIGHT NOW!
Turing Test and even the console version of Kerbal Space Program (the game full of sexy sexy rockets thrusting and exploding towards space) need to be classified.
I, for one, thank our conservative authoritarian overlords from either major party. Because of this nanny state treatment the children will be protected from whatever offends our dear leaders sensibilities and adults are considered too stupid to decide for themselves what media they should consume. Oh what an amazing time to be alive.
/s
Among the sleep is another title having issues with Aussie xbone classification.
And the South Park games – even though the fractured but whole has been delayed the previous game got a remaster and was free via pre-ordering the new one. The classification has stuffed that so everywhere else is able to get it but us