Saints Row 4 Release Banned in Australia, Refused Rating

Australian fans of the Saints Row series were dealt some harsh news today, as the ratings board for video games in the country has deemed the upcoming Saints Row 4 so obscene that it has refused to give the game a rating, effectively blocking the game from being sold in the country. The Australian Classification Board released an official statement about the decision, citing sexual violence and drug use as the chief reasons to game was refused classification:

"In the Board's opinion, Saints Row IV, includes interactive, visual depictions of implied sexual violence which are not justified by context.  In addition, the game includes elements of illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards.  Such depictions are prohibited by the computer games guidelines."

In Australia, the highest rating a game can achieve is R18+, which prohibits anyone under 18 from purchasing the game. This is similar to the Mature rating in America, which indicates that gamers should be 16 or older to play the game. Currently in Australia 17 games have been given the R18+ rating, including Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition. While those two games are certainly as violent or possibly more so than Saints Row 4 will be, it is the sexual violence and drug use that has caused the game to be banned from the continent, not the violence.

Saints Row 4 will be released on August 22 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The game will feature an over the top story in which the President of the United States is part of the Saints, and must defend the country against alien invaders using a variety of weapons (including a dubstep gun) and superpowers. It will be interesting to see if this ban in Australia boosts the hype the game has before release, or the publicity associated with the move causes the game to stumble a bit before launch.