"Silent Hill f Banned in Australia"

Konami's eagerly awaited Silent Hill f has encountered a setback in Australia, receiving a Refused Classification (RC) rating, which currently prevents its sale in the country. However, this rating was assigned by an automated tool from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), rather than by the Australian Classification Board itself. Given past precedents, this may not be the final verdict on the game's availability in Australia.

Konami relies on a third-party distribution partner in Australia, and IGN has reached out to this partner for further comments on the situation. The specific reasons behind Silent Hill f's RC rating remain undisclosed. In Australia, since the introduction of the adults-only R18+ category for games in January 2013, games are typically refused classification for content involving sexual activity with minors, depictions of sexual violence, or incentivizing drug use. Prior to the R18+ rating, 2008's Silent Hill: Homecoming faced a similar fate due to a high-impact torture scene but was later released with modifications and an MA15+ rating.

The IARC's automated tool, which assigns ratings based on a questionnaire about a game's content, is designed for mobile and digitally delivered games. In Australia, this system has been in use since 2014, primarily for the sheer volume of games released on platforms like the iOS app store. It's worth noting that the IARC tool tends to assign higher ratings than the Classification Board might, as seen with games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few in 2019. Importantly, the IARC tool is free, making it a valuable resource for smaller publishers and developers.

For physical releases, however, a direct submission to the Australian Classification Board is still required. The Board has the authority to override any rating given by the IARC tool. In Australia, game publishers can employ accredited classifiers or authorized assessors, who are trained by the Classification Board to provide classifications or recommendations, respectively.

While it's premature to predict the outcome of Silent Hill f's classification in Australia, it's noteworthy that this game has already received an 18+ rating in Japan, marking it as the first in the Silent Hill series to do so.