Australia Gov Rejects Left 4 Dead 2 Appeal

Australia's ratings board has rejected an appeal from Electronic Arts and Valve that would have allowed the unedited version of Left 4 Dead 2 to release in the region. The original game as it stands was first denied a rating by Australia's classification board, the OLFC, meaning it couldn't be released there. Valve recently undertook edits to remove more graphic details from Left 4 Dead 2, and the board approved the modified version for an MA 15+ rating. But Valve and distributor EA appealed the ratings decision on the original version nonetheless, hoping to release the edited edition largely as a stopgap and then offer consumers the full version later. Today's decision ensures that only the MA 15+, edited version of the game will see retail shelves in Australia. In Australia, there is no category for mature content akin to the U.S.-based Entertainment Software Rating Board's "Mature" rating, which means the game's content is appropriate for people 17 years of age and older. Games that fall into this classification are often denied rating in Australia. In 2008, Australia's classification board refused to rate numerous titles including Shellshock 2: Blood Trails, Dark Sector, Fallout 3 and Silent Hill: Homecoming. All of these games received edits so that they could fall under the MA15+ rating. In other regions, including Japan, Europe, Korea, and South Africa, the Left 4 Dead 2 was rated for players who are over 17 or 18 years of age.