Syndicate banned in Australia

360 News | Conspiracy.

Announced not too long ago, EA's reboot of the Syndicate series, at the hands of Starbreeze Studios, will not be seeing the light of day in Australia.

Reported by Kotaku, the news unsurprisingly comes from the Australian Classifications Board entry for the game, which popped up yesterday, describing the game's classification as 'RC'. That's 'Refused Classification', for what it's worth.

Why has Syndicate been banned? Official word is yet to be given, but we're speculating it is due to the abilities the character has in the game, one specifically causing opponents to commit suicide.

Those looking to buy the title when it launches next year will have to be content with importing, unless the classification is revoked, or a censored version is released locally.

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32 Comments

Benza

1 year ago

oh snap I didn't see that comming.

billybob2010

1 year ago

so much for our r18 rating, guess that is a way off

Benza

1 year ago

billybob2010 wrote

so much for our r18 rating, guess that is a way off

why would you assume that a rating that hasn't been implemented yet would apply to a game being rated now?

admeister

1 year ago

Colour me surprised! I didn't realise that the game would be quite that extreme, it actually makes me even more interested.

zzyss

1 year ago

Heh. Are you sure you want to be seen publicly condoning doing something illegal (importing an RC game)?

Guess we'll see how bad this turns out to be depending on how good the remake is. Maybe the Classification Board is doing our wallets a favour if the game turns out to be a dog. Hahaha...

Meanwhile, I still wish I could get my hands on MK9.

Benza

1 year ago

zzyss wrote

Meanwhile, I still wish I could get my hands on MK9.

Then try harder.

Jarrod

1 year ago

zzyss wrote

Heh. Are you sure you want to be seen publicly condoning doing something illegal (importing an RC game)?

For me personally? Yes, absolutely. I'll respect the rating system when it goes from broken to fixed. Until then, power to the people.

RichieT23

1 year ago

O_o? Dumbfounded.

take my money ozgameshop.

Slipvayne21

1 year ago

Benza = troll mode?

Jarrod wrote

For me personally? Yes, absolutely. I'll respect the rating system when it goes from broken to fixed. Until then, power to the people.

Thumbs up!!!!!

Cyph

1 year ago

Err... ok.

Guess people will be importing or pirating!

BigBoss

1 year ago

What a pain in the bum. Oh well doesn't change much for me. I'll pirate it and if it keeps my attention for longer than 3hrs I'll buy it.

BigBoss

1 year ago

note I import most games specially new release ps3. I love Asia region

Benza

1 year ago

edit don't double post.

IISpacebreakII

1 year ago

Tbh I'm happy this happened so the issue is yet again in focus. It's just a shame it couldn't be for a game that looked shit.

ZNMS

1 year ago

EA will appeal and if the game is still refused refused classification in this land. EA will probably ask Starbreeze Studios to make edits to the game.

For some strange reason, Left for Dead 2 rings a bell.

BigBoss

1 year ago

Benza wrote

edit don't double post.

Honest mistake, did it really require a post?

BigBoss

1 year ago

And in response to your response, really?

Benza

1 year ago

Quote

did it really require a post?

Well apparently yes.

renegadesx

1 year ago

The Governments (Federal and the States) have admitted the ratings system is broken so its not like the Classification guidelines have a shread of credibility.

I will get this game if its a good game, not buy it if its bad. Not because a Government appointed board using an admitted broken system said so.

Its not like the Thought Police beat down my door and hurled me off to the Ministry of Love over the uncencored GTAIV or MK9... yet.

BigBoss

1 year ago

Fixing the system temporarily would just mean adding a completely non restrictive 21+ rating. I think that 18 would still need rules. And its not as if i want to play some horribly violent games, just the developers and producers should have a fair go at the market.

cluderi

1 year ago

Suspected this might happen when I saw the trailer, I'm sure it's a ridiculous knee jerk reaction to the more violent tools in the game.

I'm starting to doubt the proposed R18 rating will make any difference to these people, they'll just move the more violent portion that would have just made a 15 rating over to R18 and still keep anything that they disapprove off as RC.

Benza

1 year ago

BigBoss wrote

adding a completely non restrictive 21+ rating.

A: What? Adding a completly non restrictive rating is not a thing that's ever going to happen. ever. Australia has had draconian censorship for fucking ever and I'm not just talking about games, films get banned with a disturbing regularity too.

B: 21? Why 21? As far as a I'm aware there isn't a single right within Australia that starts at 21. If I can drink, fuck, own a gun, fight in the army, by porn etc at 18 why in gods name would playing certain video games have to wait 3 years?

GooberMan

1 year ago

It's still not legal to sell Bret Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho in Queensland.

(Not that it's enforced at all, but you pretty much can't find a new copy in stores up there, you have to buy second hand or order from interstate)

The idea of classification is fine, but in Australia it's used as censorship. A 21+ unrestricted is going to have fiercer opposition than any R18 category has ever had.

Crank

1 year ago

ZNMS wrote

EA will appeal and if the game is still refused refused classification in this land. EA will probably ask Starbreeze Studios to make edits to the game.

EA have stated that they will not be resubmitting the game.

Apparently it was refused classification due to the graphic nature of the violence:

"Combatants take locational damage and can be explicitly dismembered, decapitated or bisected by the force of the gunfire," says the rating board, making it sound awesome. "The depictions are accompanied by copious bloodspray and injuries are shown realistically and with detail. Flesh and bone are often exposed while arterial sprays of blood continue to spirt from wounds at regular intervals."

Via Destructoid.

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