Halloween: The Game Refused Classification in Australia, So It Won’t Be Sold in New Zealand Despite the Fact That’s a Different Country

Key Points:

• Independent developer Illfonic's upcoming title, Halloween: The Game, has been refused classification in Australia due to its inclusion of incentivised illicit drug use, preventing its sale in both Australia and New Zealand.
• The Australian Classification Board prohibits games that reward players for illicit drug use, which reportedly applies to Halloween: The Game’s mechanic where smoking marijuana reveals the villain’s location, unlike other games that feature drug use without incentives.
• Illfonic secured an R18+ rating for the game’s pre-order content via an automated online tool, but the full game’s physical release required human classification, which was denied; the developer has not clarified if an appeal was pursued.
• Past examples show developers circumventing Australia’s drug-related classification rules through semantic changes, raising questions about why Illfonic did not attempt similar adjustments to obtain classification.
• Despite the refusal, the impact on Australian and New Zealand gamers may be limited due to the ease of purchasing games from international digital storefronts.