‘Saints Row 4’ Refused Classification In Australia Yet Again
After the Australian Classification Board shot down Saints Row 4 the first time, the game was put up for re-review with a few changes. Unfortunately, those changes apparently were not enough.
Yesterday, news broke that Australia’s Classification Board has once again refused to allow the game to be sold in the country. Originally, one offense the Classification Board took issue with was the “alien anal probe” weapon, which the board considered to be too close to sexual assault.
Another issue, which appears to be one of the main reasons that Saints Row 4 was once again refused classification in Australia after further review, is drug use. One instance of drug use, Eurogamer reports, is “alien” marijuana that can give your character superpowers.
Because the board believes this an incentive to partake in drug use, the decision to deny sale in Australia was made.
“A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the computer game Saints Row IV is classified Refused Classification,” the board stated on its website.
“In the Review Board’s opinion, Saints Row IV could not be accommodated within the R 18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.”
Fortunately for those in Australia, this doesn’t spell doom for Saints Row 4 just yet. Developer Deep Silver is reportedly working on a “safe” version with those instances the Classification Board took offense to removed from the game. It isn’t clear what, if anything else, will be changed in the safe version.
On January 1, the Australian Classification Board, after many years of waiting from gamers, finally allowed an “R18+” classification for games, allowing games with violence, gore, and other adult content to be sold in the country. Saints Row 4’s original classification refusal was the first instance of that happening since the institution of the R18+ rating.
Interested in seeing what the fuss is all about? You can check out a trailer for Saints Row 4 below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBZKWLK4O5Y
