Why is Australia getting a very special edition of Grand Theft Auto IV, one slightly less offensive to the sensibilities due to edited content? It's not just luck! Rockstar Games chalks it up to the lack of an R18+ rating available from the nation's Office of Film and Literature Classification. In a statement, Rockstar says that "there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions" but calms the fears of fans of mature content, adding that the changes "are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience."

Rockstar swears that the differences down under do not compromise the quality of GTA IV in any way, but opts not the explain what is and isn't included in the Australian version. The full statement, including a plea to the OLFC to create something for the adults in the room who want to stomp on the heads of whomever they choose, virtually, is at Kotaku Australia.

Rockstar Speaks On Australia GTA IV Edits, R18+ Classification [Kotaku AU]

Send an email to Michael McWhertor, the author of this post, at mike@kotaku.com.