RockStar give their view on GTA IV Aussie edits

By Mike Bantick
Thursday, 10 April 2008 05:48

Opinion and Analysis

The backlash from the RockStar Games announcement of an edited version of GTA IV for the Australian market has been quite severe.  RockStar have made an announcement about the effect of the edits in this peculiar retail environment that lacks an R18+ classification.

Read the comments in reaction to the editing of crowd favourite Grand Theft Auto IV and you will see how a lack of an R18+ adult rating for such a clearly mature orientated title could hurt local publishers of games.

In an effort to cool heads, and maintain some level of confidence in the local product, RockStar Games have today released the following statement:

The Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV was rated by the OFLC in December 2007 as MA15+. Unlike the US and Europe, Australia still lacks an R18+ rating for video games and as a result many games are edited for release in Australia, including most previous Grand Theft Auto releases.

While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience. We would not release the game in Australia if we believed these differences compromised the quality of the game in any way.  We strongly support the OLFC and will continue to work within their guidelines; however we believe the government needs to bring games in line with other media by introducing an R18+ rating, or edits to games will continue to be necessary. We encourage consumers to let their politicians know that they support an R18+ rating for games.

As the public consultation on a proposed R18+ rating for games becomes clearer, GTA IV will more than likely be the poster boy for both sides of the argument.  More on this as details emerge.

Grand Theft Auto IV is due out April 29th on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.