Sources have reported the Red Barrels and Outlast 2 have gone through some curious situations this month. Reports claim that the game was actually banned in Australia due to the refusal of the Australian Classification Board. It seems the group could not give the game any classification for some reason. After a second review, the board lifted the ban and the developer has decided to reveal what caused the game to be banned in the first place.
The developer claims that the fault lies on a video file they submitted together with alpha footage of "Outlast 2". According to IGN, Red Barrels claimed that the video file "should not have been sent" together with the "game code" since the "content was not representative of the final game." The government agency explained that their initial decisions were based on the footage that included some kind of sexual violence.
Based on the agency's initial report, they were able to view parts of "Outlast 2" wherein the protagonist was involved in some sexual activity. However, the developer sent in new materials that showcased the game's final content. After another review, the agency agreed to approve the survival horror game for release with an R18+ rating. It appears the developer wants their game to be the same anywhere it launches.
"Outlast 2" is considered to be one of the most anticipated survival horror games in 2017, which makes the recently lifted ban great news for Australian gamers, suggest Game Rant. The developer ideally wants their game to ship out their game without any cuts or censorship. Unlike the ESRB in the United States and PEGI in Europe, which are self-regulated, the Australian Classification Board is managed by the government and rates media based on the legislation guidelines.
While it seems like the recent ban and media coverage regarding "Outlast 2" is supposedly a big hassle for the developer, the press coverage it has generated might be considered as good publicity for the game. The game is scheduled to come out for the PC, PS4 and Xbox one on April 25, 2017.
