You probably remember hearing very recently that the new Syndicate reboot was banned in Australia. Well, EA’s spoken up about the banning, and it’s not good news for Syndicate fans at all.
“It’s regrettable that government policy in Australia is denying adults the right to play Syndicate. The game will be not be available in Australia despite its enthusiastic response from fans.” EA said in a statement. “We were encouraged by the government’s recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today’s market and gives its millions of adult consumers the right to make their own content choices."
The game was refused classification (which is essentially Australian for ‘banned’) due to high levels of violence that would not be appropriate for an MA15+ classification. EA later confirmed that they won’t be resubmitting the game for classification.
- “We are not releasing Syndicate in Australia. The reason for this is because we do not have an R18+ in place as yet.
- We will not be appealing the RC decision. Syndicate is a game made for a mature audience and any changes would significantly affect the game’s quality and appeal.
- Syndicate will continue to be released in New Zealand (unchanged) on the 24th February 2012, and has a confirmed rating of R18+”
At least those hoping to play the game can still try to import from New Zealand.
[Source: Kotaku]
