"Silent Hill f Banned in Australia"

Konami's upcoming title, Silent Hill f, has been refused classification (RC) in Australia, meaning it cannot be sold there at this time. However, this rating was assigned by an automated tool from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rather than by members of the Australian Classification Board. Given past precedents, it's likely that this decision could be revisited.

Konami does not handle its own distribution in Australia; IGN has reached out to their third-party distribution partner for comments on the matter.

The specific reasons behind Silent Hill f's RC rating have not been disclosed yet. Since the introduction of an adults-only category (R18+) for games in Australia in January 2013, games are typically refused classification for content involving sexual activity with a person who appears to be under 18, visual depictions of sexual violence, or incentives tied to drug use. A previous game in the series, Silent Hill: Homecoming, faced a similar issue in 2008 due to a high-impact torture scene but was later released with modifications and rated MA15+ after the R18+ category was established.

It's worth noting that Silent Hill f's RC rating was determined by the IARC's online tool, which uses a questionnaire to assess a game's content and assigns ratings based on the standards of participating countries. In Australia, this tool is used exclusively for digitally-distributed games and has been known to assign higher ratings than those given by human classifiers. For instance, games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few were incorrectly flagged as banned in Australia in 2019.

The IARC tool is particularly useful for small publishers and developers as it is free to use. However, physical game releases must still go through the Australian Classification Board, meaning that if Silent Hill f plans a physical release in Australia, it will need to be submitted for a formal review. The Classification Board retains the authority to override any IARC-assigned ratings.

In Australia, game publishers can employ accredited classifiers or authorised assessors. Accredited classifiers are trained in-house staff whose decisions are treated as official Classification Board decisions, while authorised assessors provide recommendations that the Board may or may not adopt.

While it's too early to determine the final outcome of Silent Hill f's RC rating in Australia, it's noteworthy that this game has received an 18+ rating in Japan, marking the first time a Silent Hill game has achieved this certification there.