Life Is Strange 2 Gets Refused Classification… Again? [Updated]

Update: February 8th, 2023 at 11:34 a.m. AEDT

Kotaku Australia has received a response from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, stating that “the IARC Global Rating Tool erroneously produced a Refused Classification (RC) rating for the computer game” on February 3rd despite the game’s prior 2019 rating of R18+.

The RC rating has now been removed from the National Classification Database. The original story continues below.

Original: February 8th, 2023 at 10:14 a.m. AEDT

A Twitter account recently spotted a new listing on the Australian Classification website that lists 2018’s Life is Strange 2 as Refused Classification.

The account belongs to Refused Classification, which acts as an archive that tracks censorship in Australia regarding films, video games, books, and magazines. This morning, the account noted that a new classification has been listed on the Australian Classification website as of February 3rd 2023, which lists the Square Enix title as Refused Classification.

LIFE IS STRANGE 2 now banned in Australia under the automated International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) system. The original multi-platform submission was rated R18+ (Interactive drug use, online interactivity) in 2019. #lifeisstrange2 @LifeIsStrange https://t.co/OwFelM3aQ7 pic.twitter.com/xBp547ZAHF

— Refused Classification (@RefusedC) February 7, 2023

According to the Refused Classification website, this re-classification of the game may have been triggered by the February 2nd release of Life is Strange 2 on the Nintendo Switch. That being said, it appears that the title is still available on the Nintendo Switch eShop with an R18+ rating.

Life is Strange 2 is certainly no stranger to classification issues in Australia. Back in 2019 after the game’s release, Life is Strange 2 was temporarily removed from all digital storefronts in Australia, with no clarification as to why. Later, it returned with an R18+ rating for “interactive drug use“.

When it comes to drug use in games, the Australian Classification Board is no stranger to slamming down the Refused Classification hammer. That being said, it’s interesting to see the game receive an RC rating (or non-rating) so long after all that nonsense and still be available to purchase.

It’s also important to note the IARC system here, which is an automated system used in Australia for classifications that abide by the International Age Rating Coalition.

In a previous case with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the Australian Classification Board states that, “The IARC tool is programmed to automatically generate classifications tailored to each participating country’s classification criteria”, and that “different versions of a game may result in different classifications”.

Kotaku Australian has reached out to Square Enix and the Australian Classification Board regarding the Refused Classification rating for Life is Strange 2. A representative for Square Enix told us that it is aware that the IARC tool generated an RC rating for Australia, and is currently investigating the matter with the ACB. The ACB had not responded at the time of publication. We will update this piece should we hear from them.