Last week, news reports surfaced that Rockstar was forced to censor the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV in order to ensure that it passed through the country's strict classification regime. A statement released today from the company confirms that Rockstar did indeed submit an edited version of Grand Theft Auto IV to Australia's classification board, and the developer laid the blame squarely on Australia's lack of an R18+ rating for games as the reason for the changes.
Although Rockstar did not divulge exactly what modifications have been made to the Aussie version of GTA IV, the statement said those changes were "not significant". "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," Rockstar said.
According to Rockstar, edits were required to GTA IV to ensure it would pass under Australia's highest classification for games, MA15+. Unlike other forms of media that have an R18+ rating (meaning that it's restricted for sale to adults 18 years or older), games in Australia have to be rated MA15+ or lower in order to be legally sold in the country. "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," the statement said.
"We strongly support the Office of Film and Literature Classification 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."
For more on Australia's classification regime for video games, check out CNET.com.au's in-depth Censory Overload feature.
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sexy_shazam
11/04/2008 04:07 PM
great there goes another to the stupid ma15+ rating
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Jonsey
12/04/2008 02:28 PM
What happened to good parenting??? Now we hand it to the state, and everyone gets screwed
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Boost-Juice
12/04/2008 03:06 PM
Well I'll just order it from overseas and screw the locals. Im 26 and dont need to be playing the crap version, thanks.
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man.dovvn
14/04/2008 01:13 PM
If you're 26 you don't need to be playing any version. I still dislike the censorship though.
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Rob
17/04/2008 12:16 PM
man.dovvn haven't you seen the stats, the average age of a gamer in australia is 28, no R18+ rating is ridiculous...
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outraged
12/05/2008 06:57 PM
australia is soft? it really should be up to the parents, the rating makes it more obvious about the contents of the game and restricts who can get it if it is R18.
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ResponsibleAdult
14/05/2008 06:58 PM
Please... Introduce an R18+ rating to Australian video games, there is no logical reason not to despite what the media may have you believe.
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