Rockstar Speaks On Australia GTA IV Edits, R18+ Classification

Rockstar has released a statement regarding the changes made to the Australian version of GTA IV to get it past the OFLC with an MA15+ rating. Here’s the crux of it: “While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience. We would not release the game in Australia if we believed these differences compromised the quality of the game in any way.”

So there you have it folks. No specifics, sadly, but Rockstar’s confident the changes won’t affect your playing experience. Whether this is true or not is up to you to decide.

The full statement after the jump, including mention of the publisher’s desire for an R18+ rating for video games.

UPDATE (15/4/2008): New Zealand is getting the same version of GTA IV as Australia.

The Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV was rated by the OFLC in December 2007 as MA15+. Unlike the US and Europe, Australia still lacks an R18+ rating for video games and as a result many games are edited for release in Australia, including most previous Grand Theft Auto releases.

While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience. We would not release the game in Australia if we believed these differences compromised the quality of the game in any way.

We strongly support the OLFC and will continue to work within their guidelines; however we believe the government needs to bring games in line with other media by introducing an R18+ rating, or edits to games will continue to be necessary. We encourage consumers to let their politicians know that they support an R18+ rating for games.

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