Halloween: The Game, the latest multiplayer horror title from Illfonic, the studio behind Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds, has been denied a rating by the Australian Classifications Board. This decision means the game will not be available for purchase in Australia, nor New Zealand, for its planned September 9 release.
Illfonic confirmed the ban via its X account, stating that the denial was not due to the presence of Michael Myers or the game's kill animations, but rather "the presence of a controlled substance." The studio expressed disappointment, noting that this classification prevents them from selling the game in the affected regions.
While games depicting controlled substances are not automatically prohibited in Australia, the classification board's guidelines disallow incentivized drug use. According to a report from March citing horror influencer Slash 'N Cast, survivors in Halloween: The Game can use marijuana to temporarily gain an advantage by seeing Michael Myers' pings across the map. This mechanic appears to be the specific reason for the ban.
This situation is not unprecedented, as other game studios have faced similar issues with Australian ratings. Some have opted to alter or remove specific content for the Australian market, while others, such as Devolver Digital, have chosen not to release certain titles in the region altogether, as was the case with Hotline Miami 2.
While the specific listing for Halloween: The Game's refusal is not readily available on the Classification Board's website, a pre-order content rating for the game did receive an R18+ classification in July. Retail listings for the game have since been removed from major Australian outlets, and its PlayStation Store page is inaccessible, indicating the ban is being enforced. Steam has yet to take action, but is expected to follow suit.