Outlast 2 has been refused classification in Australia by the official ratings board due to graphic scenes of “sexual violence.”
The information was first obtained by Kotaku Australia, who also found that the demo for Outlast 2 released in September 2016 passed certification with fewer issues despite an R18+ rating.
It appears the decision was made in a court ruling issued on March 15, stating that Outlast 2 has been confirmed to “depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.”
This means that Outlast 2 will not see a release in Australia later next month, and developer Red Barrels may need to make significant changes to its original material.
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Australia is no stranger to slamming the ban hammer on controversial videogames, having banned several titles in the past for their violent or sexual material.
Some of these include Fallout 3, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and even South Park: The Stick of Truth being refused classification in the territory. However, Fallout 3 and Stick of Truth were eventually edited and released with no further issues.
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Outlast 2 is scheduled to launch for PS4, Xbox One and PC on April 25 alongside Outlast: Trinity, a bundle that compiles the original Outlast, all its DLC and the upcoming sequel.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
