Dev wrote on Dec 20, 2011, 13:59:
Sacrifex wrote on Dec 20, 2011, 12:42:
If games got censored just to sell down under, you'd be playing My Little Pony 142 instead of real games. Banning games is their bread and butter - it's nothing new.
No developer has taken them seriously as a market - for good reason, given the conditions - and by association, if a mangled, unworkable censored version gets released, it's only for a quick cash grab on the overcharged Aussies.
I don't know if thats the case. Many devs will release a version to comply with german stuff that also complies with austrailian stuff at the same time.
"Syndicate will not launch in Australia next year and EA will not alter the original game or seek an appeal. The publisher informed Joystiq this afternoon that it finds the Australian government's policy to deny adults the right to play Syndicate "regrettable."
"The game will not be available in Australia despite its enthusiastic response from fans. We were encouraged by the government's recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. However, delays continue to force an arcane censorship on games – cuts that would never be imposed on books or movies," EA Corporate Communications' Tiffany Steckler wrote Joystiq in a statement. "We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today's market and gives its millions of adult consumers the right to make their own content choices."
Syndicate was recently refused classification in Australia, due to it being "unsuitable for a minor to see or play." Australian classification standards reject classification for video games only deemed suitable for citizens over the age of 15."
Joystiq