{"id":12777,"date":"2026-08-11T09:50:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T06:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/?p=12777"},"modified":"2026-08-11T14:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T10:45:18","slug":"halloween-the-game-refused-classification-in-australia-so-it-wont-be-sold-in-new-zealand-despite-the-fact-thats-a-different-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/08\/11\/halloween-the-game-refused-classification-in-australia-so-it-wont-be-sold-in-new-zealand-despite-the-fact-thats-a-different-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween: The Game Refused Classification in Australia, So It Won\u2019t Be Sold in New Zealand Despite the Fact That\u2019s a Different Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Independent developer Illfonic, best known for its asymmetric multiplayer games based on iconic horror franchises, has revealed its upcoming Halloween: The Game has been refused classification in Australia. As a result, Halloween: The Game won\u2019t be able to be sold via Australian storefronts. However, Illfonic also announced that the Australian rating means it won\u2019t be selling the game in New Zealand either, despite the fact that New Zealand is objectively not a part of Australia and is, in fact, a separate sovereign country with its own government, currency, anthem, sports teams, and \u2013 yes \u2013 classification system.<\/p>\n

While no classification decision has actually been published by the Australian Classification Board at this stage, IGN understands the determination involves incentivised <\/em>illicit drug use, which is an idiosyncratic caveat that has caused hurdles for several games in Australia over the last few decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications [sic] Board has denied \u2018Halloween: The Game\u2019 a rating,\u201d Illfonic has explained via social media. \u201cThe denial was not based on the presence of the iconic slasher, Michael Myers, or the outstanding kills that can be performed in the game, but rather the presence of a controlled substance. Unfortunately, to our disappointment (and certainly yours) this means that we cannot sell the physical or digital product in both Australia and New Zealand.\u201d <\/p>\n

Contrary to Illfonic\u2019s statement, however, \u201cthe presence of a controlled substance\u201d is not against Australia\u2019s classification guidelines, so attributing Halloween: The Game\u2019s effective \u201cban\u201d in Australia to the mere presence of drugs in the game is either a misunderstanding of the situation, or an oversimplification. For instance, strong impact drug use is permitted in Australia\u2019s MA15+ classification, and high impact drug use is permitted under the R18+ classification. However, what the guidelines do specifically prohibit is tying the use of illicit drugs in relation to incentives or rewards. It\u2019s reported that Halloween: The Game includes the ability for players to smoke marijuana in-game as a mechanic that will reward them with pings showing villain Michael Myers\u2019 location on the map. For context, the marijuana use featured in games like Grand Theft Auto V and Far Cry 3 is not associated with incentives, and both those games were rated in Australia without issue.<\/p>\n

IGN sought clarification from the Australian Classification Board on a variety of questions about Halloween: The Game and Illfonic\u2019s process for securing a rating for it. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Classification Board has not yet published a decision in relation to Halloween: The Game,\u201d stated a Classification Board spokesperson.<\/p>\n

\u201cGames containing illicit drug use related to incentives or rewards cannot be accommodated within the R18+ classification category and must be Refused Classification under the Guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in July, Illfonic successfully secured an R18+ rating in Australia for Halloween: The Game\u2019s pre-order content, which was applied using the automated, free-to-use online rating tool maintained by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). In Australia\u2019s case, the IARC tool sends its decision to be published automatically on Australia\u2019s National Classification Database. However, in Australia, the IARC tool can only be used to classify games that are exclusively digitally distributed. If Halloween: The Game was going to be released on physical formats in Australia, it would have needed to have been submitted to the Classification Board for human rating, and not achieved via the IARC tool. The Australian Classification Board did not respond to IGN\u2019s question whether Illfonic (or a local distributor acting on its behalf) did this.<\/p>\n

Refused classification decisions from the Australian Classification Board can also be appealed to the Classification Review Board, which is a separate panel. IGN sought clarification whether Illfonic had pursued this but received no response.<\/p>\n

As for \u201cevery effort\u201d on Illfonic\u2019s part, that\u2019s a claim that may not quite pass the sniff test considering how successfully other developers and publishers have skirted Australia’s guidelines with small, semantic tweaks. For instance, 2013\u2019s State of Decay was initially refused classification in Australia for tying real-world proscribed substances to health boosts and other buffs, but a revised version that called the drugs \u2018vitamins\u2019 instead was rated without further issue. In 2008, Bethesda opted to give its morphine a brand name (\u2018Med-X\u2019) to dodge the rule for Fallout 3. So, principles aside, it\u2019s not entirely clear why Illfonic couldn\u2019t just call it a regular cigarette in Australia and sidestep the whole debacle.<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, Halloween: The Game\u2019s refused classification determination is unlikely to have much meaningful impact on the ability for gamers in Australia and NZ to get the game, considering how straightforward it is to purchase games from international storefronts in 2026.<\/p>\n

Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN reviews team. You can track him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him things about stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n

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