Outlast 2 Refused Classification in Australia

The exact reason for the decision is not yet clear.

By Luke Reilly

Outlast II has been refused classification in Australia by the Australian Classification Board.

The specific content unable to be accommodated within the R18+ classification in the eyes of the ACB is unknown at this stage. IGN has contacted both developer Red Barrels for a statement and the ACB for a copy of the post-classification report.

For now the only information available on the Classification Board’s website is a boilerplate notice referencing item 1a of the National Classification Code’s section on video games (a broad and unspecific statement prohibiting games that “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.”)

Outlast II was due to release next month. A bundle edition containing the original and its prequel was also set to arrive in Australia during April.

Ratings are determined by the highest impact level.

Back in 2014 the original Outlast was classified R18+ due to “high impact horror themes, blood and gore.” The game’s violence, nudity, and sex content was rated at “strong” (there are five levels of impact for ratings criteria: very mild, mild, moderate, strong, and high).

2016's Outlast II demo was also rated R18+, on this occasion for “high impact horror violence, blood and gore.” The Outlast II demo contained no sex or drug use, very mild impact nudity, and the themes in this case were regarded as strong impact (as opposed to high).

We’ll update you when we know more.

Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter @MrLukeReilly.

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