Sleeping Dogs Just Got A New R18+ Rating In Australia, But Lets Not Get Too Excited Yet

Sleeping Dogs Just Got A New R18+ Rating In Australia, But Lets Not Get Too Excited Yet

At the risk of getting anyone excited about next-gen rumours: a new filing for Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition has appeared on the Australian Classification website over the weekend.

The filing appears to be an update to Sleeping Dogs‘ existing rating. The game’s PlayStation Store page contains the original MA15+ rating for Strong Coarse Language, Strong Sexual References, and Strong Violence. The game now holds an R18+ rating for High Impact Violence. The submission apparently comes from the IARC, the International Age Rating Coalition, which specialises in mobile titles and games sold by digital storefronts.

Sleeping Dogs, which originally launched for PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2012, was a GTA clone set in the heart of Hong Kong. It followed undercover Hong Kong detective Wei Shen as he attempted to infiltrate the dangerous Sun On Yee Triad. The game featured a blend of John Woo-inspired martial arts and shooting, with some nascent parkour elements. The game was a modest success at the time, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first year. Its fresh take on open-world design earned it a cult following in the years that followed. It was ported to PS4 and Xbox One in 2014 and remains popular to this day.

Nobody freak out just yet

Now, let’s all try to keep a level head here. A new rating causes the heart to leap because the idea of a next-gen Sleeping Dogs remaster is beautiful indeed. However, Square Enix has not had anything to say about any such project. Further, the game currently runs just fine on both platforms via backwards compatibility. Considering its last rating decision would have been for the Definitive Edition in 2014, this could be nothing more than the Classification Board bringing Sleeping Dogs into line with its modern guidelines. It’s also worth noting that the Classification Board’s filing does not include any notes about potential platforms.

All I’m saying is, stay cool for now. The filing is interesting, and it did come rather out of nowhere, but the reason for its appearance could be entirely benign.

Kotaku Australia has reached out to Square Enix for comment and will let you know if it has a statement to pass along.


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