Call of Duty Black Ops 3 has received a unique distinction. It is now the first game in the franchise rated R-18 by the Australian Classification board.
For context, other games with mature content, the board created the rating three years ago, to accommodate the market for more adult consumers and their appetite for adult games. While most games, such as Fallout 4, usually receive a MA15+ rating, when they do push the envelope that will rating will go higher, as was the case with Watch Dogs. The board is also still willing to deny classification for games like Hotline Miami 2, meaning they are officially not allowed to be sold in the region.
Previously, Call of Duty games have only been rated MA15+ in Australia. In their rating description, the board only describes high impact violence, and online interactivity. There are no descriptions for specific instances in the game that warrant the rating.
Truthfully speaking, this is a genuine surprise. I would have personally taken for granted that Activision would require their developers to keep Call of Duty games rated MA15+ to draw in the very profitable teen market. The ESRB have yet to provide a rating for Call of Duty Black Ops 3.
Do you think Activision really had the chutzpah to let Treyarch come up with a truly mature Call of Duty? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 will be released on November 6, 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
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