A lot has happened since Deep silver revealed its highly controversial "Alien Anal Probe" weapon in Australia which last month saw its release banned by the country's censors.
However, Deep Silver, as expected, will be looking to hold on to the market down under and has accordingly confirmed that it’s "reworking some of the code" in the game to remove "content which could cause offence," as reported by Strategy informer.
While there have been regulation following the offensive nature of the game, pre-orders for the game have continued to flow in for the title via Steam in Australia, featuring a 'low violence version' that’s currently being sold. However, publisher Deep Silver is yet provide any official comment on the situation.
The news that developers have started working on the codes of the game to remove anything that can be tagged offensive has arrived after Saints Row 4 was denied an Australian release in its current form due to the inclusion of an "Alien Anal Probe" weapon.
As reported by Kotaku, there was a statement on the same from the Classification Board, with the game refused classification as a result of implied sexual violence. The statement reads: “The game includes a weapon referred to by the Applicant as an “Alien Anal Probe”. The Applicant states that this weapon can be “shoved into enemy’s backsides”. The lower half of the weapon resembles a sword hilt and the upper part contains prong-like appendages which circle around what appears to be a large dildo which runs down the centre of the weapon.”
“When using this weapon the player approaches a (clothed) victim from behind and thrusts the weapon between the victim’s legs and then lifts them off the ground before pulling a trigger which launches the victim into the air. After the probe has been implicitly inserted into the victim’s anus the area around their buttocks becomes pixelated highlighting that the aim of the weapon is to penetrate the victim’s anus. The weapon can be used during gameplay on enemy characters or civilians.”
“In the Board’s opinion, a weapon designed to penetrate the anus of enemy characters and civilians constitutes a visual depiction of implied sexual violence that is interactive and not justified by context and as such the game should be Refused Classification.”
The report also went on to mention the use of illicit drugs in the game, stating: “The game contains an optional mission which involves the player obtaining and smoking drugs referred to as “alien narcotics”. Smoking the ‘alien narcotics’ equips the player with ‘superpowers’ which increase their in-game abilities allowing them to progress through the mission more easily.”