Ahead of its launch next month, developer Illfonic has announced that Halloween: The Game has been banned in two major regions around the globe. As expected, Halloween: The Game is set to receive a Mature rating, as the title will be filled with plenty of violence, blood and gore, strong language, and sexual content. And while one would think that one of these elements of Halloween is what would result in its ban, it’s instead something else entirely.
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In a recent statement shared to social media, Illfonic confirmed that Halloween: The Game will not be getting released in Australia or New Zealand. The studio explained that the Australian Classifications Board has denied giving the title a rating due to “the presence of a controlled substance” that is featured. Because of this, Illfonic doesn’t have clearance to release Halloween: The Game in these territories, which is quite the shock.
“Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications Board has denied Halloween: The Game a rating,” said the developers. “The denial was not based on the presence of the iconic slasher, Michael Myers, or the outstanding kills that can be performed in the game, but rather the presence of a controlled substance. Unfortunately, to our disappointment (and certainly yours) this means that we cannot sell the physical or digital product in both Australia and New Zealand.”
While this might seem like a bizarre move, Australia historically takes a strong stance against the manner in which drugs are featured in video games. This has previously led to some developers slightly altering their games for release in Australia and New Zealand so that they meet the criteria that the Australian Classifications Board is looking for. Based on Illfonic’s message, though, the studio won’t be doing this, as it wants Halloween: The Game to be the same across all regions.
Assuming that Illfonic doesn’t change its mind in this regard, it suggests that Halloween: The Game will simply never launch in Australia or New Zealand. This would undoubtedly be the most disappointing result for those in either country who have been looking forward to the latest Halloween video game since its reveal this past year. As for Illfonic, though, the developer is likely much more focused on simply getting the game out the door rather than tweaking it for two individual regions. Once Halloween has been out for a bit, perhaps Illfonic will then turn its attention toward meeting these ratings criteria in Australia and New Zealand, but it’s likely that this will not happen any time soon.
As for its launch in other territories, Halloween: The Game will arrive in a little under a month on September 8th. When it does become available, the title will be playable across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms.
