Outlast 2 Has Been Refused Classification in Australia

Today sucks for us Aussie gamers.

According to Kotaku...

Scheduled for release on April 25, Outlast 2 will no longer be released in Australia after it was refused classification.

The Classification Board issued its ruling against Outlast 2 yesterday, with Games 1(a) cited. 1(a) is a classification given to games that "depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified".

Read the full article over here.

It's funny because the demo itself earned itself an R18+ rating (for those unaware, it's the highest rating given to material in Australia...even GTA 4 only got an MA15+ rating, albiet before we got the R18+ rating). So obviously there's something in the main game that's moral guardians have decided is too much for us Australians to tolerate. This doesn't mean the game can't be released, but it won't unless they make changes.

But as it stands government and moral guardians continue to censor what we consenting adults are allowed to play in Australia. Thoughts on this, SW?

This game is gonna be savage.

Yep. Of course it is.

I still remember when The Witcher 2 was censored in Australia. I was a teenager at the time and ended up getting an overseas copy just so I could own the uncut version. Same thing is gonna happen with this.

Now I am so totally curious about what exactly got them all up in arms...

Classic Australia. Always ruining my fun. I'm sure we will find out what caused this eventually. Be funny if they did something like South Park did with the censorship

"Sorry Australia, but in this scene Randy was anal-probed" LUL

They'll always have Crocodile Dundee.

@uninspiredcup: We all miss Steve the most though :(

Overpriced games, shitty internet speeds, censored/banned games...it sucks being a gamer here, if you're used to better.

So ridiculous... so much for our new R18 rating. Like a lot of our government, we need fresh younger blood in there.

@ShadowsDemon:

OP if you're an Aussie like me then you should know by now that if you own an XB1 at least you just have to change your region to America and download it, then just change it back and play it. You don't need to make a whole thread so idiots can make what they think are clever, but are just really stupid Aussie jokes.

I'm sorry but why was that demo 18+++ ?? You can do way worse stuff in GTA IV:

burn people
drive over people
throw people in front of driving trains

Don't have an XB1 sadly (yet). And I"ll be getting it one way or the other - no way am I gonna not play it because someone says I can't.

And yeah, I'm aware of these moronic jokes about us Aussies. Just Americans making shitty attempts at being funny.

Well i'm sure there is work arounds on PC/PS4 also, not that i have any info on them, but there should be plenty of info out there.

This makes me want it more. Thanks Australia!

What about the first game, was it also banned there? The first one was one of the more terrifying horror games I'd played in years, so if the first one was not censored and the sequel is, I'll need to fasten my seatbelt. Looking forward to it .

Does Outlast 2 have drug use in it? Because that's probably what did it... our classification board is so freaked out by anything to do with drugs.

A movie can literally have a guy sitting there shooting up on camera, but as soon as it's in a game, BANNED! Such a joke. The whole classification system needs to be overhauled and run by people who live in the 21st century.

According to a recent update it was to do with sexual violence, which was my suspicion.

I'll be the first to admit that the scene in question sounds super rough, albeit not something we should be banned from playing.

@hrt_rulz01: I see, so it's not necessarily because it's more terrifying overall. Helps me keep my expectations in check. I played the first game with surround sound headphones, in the dark.....................yeah, suffice it to say I jumped a few times.

Nah not necessarily... @ShadowsDemonseems to be right in that it's to do with some sort of "implied sexual violence".

Apparently it's quite a gruesome game too.

i mean, didn't they ban gta v? not surprised.

I don't think 5 was... but I think the rest of the GTAs were. But there were edited and re-released.

Not surprised. Australia is a prison colony. You're not supposed to have fun in prison.

Probably still more fun than the States right now :P

I thought they already did, with a ton of empowerment? :P

Anyways, this sucks for you Aussies

Still a bunch of old right-wing Catholics/Christians running the joint :(

Yup so much for the R18+ rating, pretty sure some R18+ movies out there are worse than this game..We need 2 new major parties period..Labor & Liberal both are shit atm..wasting taxpayers money on themselves. :P

GTAV got removed from Target Straya cause some feminist mums complained about it..& wanted it removed from Target.

Yep. We'll check up on you guys in the next 8 years and see how you're doing. ;)

@ShadowsDemon: it's adorable that you think the US will last 8 more years

There are MA15+ movies that are worse than this. Django Unchained, Season 3 of Game of Thrones, Westworld, several of the Saw films, and the Walking Dead are all only 15+. I saw "A Cure for Wellness" last night, which has some incredibly gruesome images and moments, which scrapped by with an 15+ rating. They're absolutely biased when it comes to games, no question.

Your parents are probably liberal voters - they're the one's ruining your fun.