"Silent Hill f Denied Rating in Australia"

Konami's upcoming game, Silent Hill f, has been refused classification (RC) in Australia, preventing its sale in the country at this time. However, this rating was assigned by an automated tool from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rather than by the Australian Classification Board members directly. Given past precedents, it's likely that this situation could change.

Konami does not handle local distribution in Australia, but IGN has reached out to their third-party distribution partner for a statement.

The exact reasons for Silent Hill f's RC rating have not been disclosed. Since the introduction of the R18+ category for games in Australia in January 2013, games are typically refused classification due to content involving sexual activity with someone who appears to be under 18, depictions of sexual violence, or linking incentives to drug use. Previously, Silent Hill: Homecoming was initially refused classification due to a high-impact torture scene before the R18+ rating existed. It was later released with modified camera angles, receiving an MA15+ rating.

In Australia, the IARC tool is used for digitally distributed games only, having been adopted in 2014 when the Classification Board was rating around 755 games per year, while over 40,000 games were released annually on the iOS app store alone. There have been instances where IARC's automated ratings have been higher than the human ratings from the Classification Board, such as with Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few in 2019, which were wrongly reported as banned.

The IARC tool is free and beneficial for small publishers and developers. However, all physical releases still require a rating from the Classification Board, which can override an IARC rating if it disagrees.

In Australia, game publishers can employ accredited classifiers or authorised assessors. Accredited classifiers, after receiving training from the Classification Board, can classify games themselves, and their decisions are official. Authorised assessors, with similar training, can only make recommendations to the Classification Board, which then decides whether to apply them.

Currently, it's uncertain whether Silent Hill f's RC rating in Australia will be upheld following further review. Notably, Silent Hill f is the first game in the series to receive an 18+ rating in Japan.