Three weeks back, Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 was refused classification by the Australian Classification Board. The reason?
The game "contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play."
Valve's Gabe Newell admitted he was "a little surprised" by the decision, and the company has appealed the board's decision. In a press conference today in Sydney, Newell revealed that an edited version of Left 4 Dead 2 has also been submitted, reports Kotaku Australia.
According to Newell, this edited version, Australia-only version is "fully compliant with the guidelines" for a 15-years-old and up rating.
"We think Left 4 Dead 2 is a lot of fun," said Newell. "It's a game for adults. But we're aware that different countries have different restrictions, and we want to make the choices that make the game the most fun for that country."
Valve decided to submit this edited version in hopes of releasing the game this November. As Kotaku Australia points out, the Board won't report back until October 22 on appeal for the original version. "Our goal is not to ship this second version," said Newell. The goal, of course, is to get get the original version through the Board via the appeal process. If that fails, then the edited version is the back-up plan.
Valve Appealing, Editing Left 4 Dead 2 for Aussie Classification [Kotaku Australia]