The follow up to Dennaton Games’ successful top-down shooter has been refused classification – and hence prohibited distribution – by the Australian Classification Board. In a decision made yesterday, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number was refused a rating in any of the existing classification categories due to what the Board claims is a violation of Games 1(a) in their National Classification Code.
As stated on their website, the reason is as follows:
The computer game is classified RC in accordance with the National Classification Code, Computer Games Table, 1. (a) as computer 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.”
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number represents one of several games, including Saints Row IV and State of Decay, to be refused classification after the introduction of an ‘adult’ R18+ category in early-2013.
Whether or not the game will be altered for release in Australia remains to be seen.