Silent Hill F has been given an ‘RC’ rating in Australia, meaning ‘refused classification.’ This means that the game has pre-emptively been banned in the country, though the Australian government didn’t disclose exactly why it was given this unexpected rating. This follows an ESRB rating last week which hinted at some pretty graphic content in the game, suggesting that it might’ve been enough for Australia to say no to its release.
As reported by Games Radar, the Australian government has hit Silent Hill F with a ‘refused classification’ rating, effectively banning the horror title’s release in the country. Konami recently updated the game’s Steam page to include a disclosure that warns players it features depictions of “gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, torture, and graphic violence.”
Australia does have a long history of banning video games for a multitude of reasons. Some examples include Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number which was banned for its depictions of sexual violence; Risen due to sexual activity and drug use; 50 Cent: Bulletproof because of high impact violence; and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for “sexuality and nudity in relation to incentives and rewards”, though in this case, an edited version of the game was re-released in the country with an MA15+ rating.
This isn’t the first Silent Hill game to get the ban hammer in Australia either. 2008’s Silent Hill: Homecoming was also initially banned due to “a high impact torture scene involving drilling into body parts.” This scene had to be edited and censored by Konami before receiving an adjusted MA15+ rating, deeming it safe for release. It’s possible that Konami may have to censor aspects of Silent Hill F too if it hopes to release in Australian territory.
Silent Hill F is expected to release in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: Games Radar
