Halloween: The Game is set to launch this September on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. But not for players in Australia and New Zealand, as the upcoming slasher game has been denied classification over its in-game use of drugs. This news has some Grand Theft Auto 6 fans living down under nervous about what it could mean for the launch of Rockstar’s open-world game later this year.
On August 9, the official social media account for Halloween: The Game responded to someone asking about the Australian version of the game on PS5 with some bad news for fans of Michael Myers and virtual stabbing. The country’s media classification board has denied Halloween: The Game a rating, but not because of all the killing and gore. Instead, you can blame drug usage for the ban.
“Despite every effort on our part, the Australian Classifications Board has denied Halloween: The Game a rating,” explained the people behind the game. “The 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.”
It’s believed the Australian Classification Board (ACB) specifically denied Halloween a rating because the upcoming horror game based on the classic ’70s-era slasher lets players consume drugs, like weed, to gain in-game advantages and bonuses. Digital drugs giving players perks have caused problems for other games in the past. Famously, Fallout 3 changed the healing drug morphine to Med-X to get around a similar ban, altering the franchise’s lore in the process.
Halloween‘s ban in Australia scares GTA 6 fans
Interestingly, I first spotted this news via GTA 6 fans posting about it in various places online. Some GTA players living in Australia and New Zealand are concerned that Rockstar’s upcoming open-world game could run into similar issues, either prompting changes to content (as with Fallout) or leading to the game being banned from sale, as is the case with Halloween: The Game.
Adding to the concerns is that last month, GTA Online banned Australian players from gambling in the game’s casino years after it was added. It’s believed this was due to some recent regulation changes, but it has some players in Australia nervous that Rockstar might not be able to sell GTA 6 in the country.
What’s likely to happen is that GTA 6 will not be changed or denied a rating. Grand Theft Auto 5 launched in Australia with the country’s highest rating a game can get, R18+, primarily due to drug usage. And the game still contains references to weed, meth, and other illicit substances. A game as massive as GTA 6 will likely be able to avoid an outright ban and instead will get slapped with the R18+ rating.
Kotaku has contacted Rockstar Games about the situation. But for now, GTA 6 is still set to release worldwide on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19. Halloween: The Game, on the other hand, won’t be available in Australia or New Zealand this September.
