Left 4 Dead 2 left for dead in Australia

David Swan
Thursday, 17 September 2009 09:12

Your IT - Entertainment

The OFLC has effectively banned upcoming 360 and PC title Left 4 Dead 2, refusing it classification and therefore deciding it cannot be released in Australia.

The official documentation can be read here , although at this stage details are sparse at best, and no reason has been given for the ‘RC’ rating.

A spokesperson for EA has told Kotaku that they “are still working through the submission process with OFLC and want to explore all opportunities before making any comment.”

This seems to be a common story in terms of the OFLC rejecting games, and will continue to be a matter of some embarrassment for Aussie gamers. There is still hope for Left 4 Dead 2 here locally, as developers often edit games for release in Australia after the game is initially rejected. Gamers could potentially be playing a ‘Left 4 Dead 2 Lite edition’, which would be similar to the local versions of GTA 3 and IV which were both ‘softer’ here.

Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to the extremely popular Left 4 Dead, which came out in 2008 and features graphic, albeit unrealistic, violence and zombie killng.

This latest development will also spark more debate about Australia’s lack of R18+ rating for video games, and will likely increase hate mail towards its main detractor, Michael Atkinson, the South Australian Attorney-General and long-time opponent of the new rating. Under the current system any game that would be rated at an R level is refused classification, and selling or owning the game is therefore illegal.

Fingers crossed, zombie hunters.