DayZ Will Get Edited Worldwide Following Weed Controversy

Though legal at the state level, there are still a lot of laws prohibiting the use of cannabis. And because of the plant's depiction in popular survival game DayZ, developer Bohemia Interactive will edit all versions of the game worldwide to bring it in accordance with Australian rules.

Earlier this month, Kotaku Australia reported that DayZ would not see a physical release in Austraila due to "illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards." The game features a joint filled with cannabis that restores health, though implementation of the medicinal restorative has yet to be completed. While DayZ has been available for five years, the Australian Classification Board--the party responsible for barring DayZ's physical release--seems to be aiming to pull the game from digital store shelves as well.

In response to the ban, Bohemia has chosen to edit the game in an effort to avoided splitting its player base. "We don't want to separate Australian players from the rest of the world, since many people play cross-region," Bohemia told Kotaku Austalia. "We love that DayZ is the place to meet with friends and experience the game without dramatic regional lag. We don't want to change that."

As the developer suggested, DayZ will go through an edit that will impact the game globally. "At the moment, we are editing the global version of DayZ so it will fit into the Board's requirements," Bohemia said. "The key objective is to keep the gameplay as authentic as it was, so players are not affected by this change."

There's no confirmation on how cannabis will be used in DayZ following the news. Bohemia hasn't specified whether the plant will remain in the game's design pipeline or if the potential implemetation will get cut altogether. As Eurogamer notes, there are other drugs found in DayZ, such as morphine, that could get cut as well.