Developer IllFonic has announced that "Halloween: The Game" will be available for digital purchase in New Zealand, reversing an earlier decision that would have excluded the territory. This comes after the game was refused classification in Australia.
Initially, the game was not expected to be available in New Zealand due to the Australian Classification Board's (ACB) decision. However, IllFonic has since received additional guidance from New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) that allows for a digital release.
According to IllFonic, a partnership with physical distributors meant that the ACB rating for physical copies took precedence over the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rating used for digital versions. When the ACB refused a rating, it impacted both physical and digital versions in Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand's classification system for video games is distinct from Australia's. While the NZ OFLC may use Australian and UK decisions as a shortcut for unrestricted content, games with restricted content, or those refused classification in Australia, must be formally classified by the OFLC. A physical release in New Zealand would require such a formal classification, which currently does not appear in the NZ Register of Classification Decisions, making a physical release impossible.
However, New Zealand's Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 primarily governs physical media. Digital game sales in New Zealand do not always require the same explicit local classifications.
The Australian Classification Board cited "illicit drug use that is linked to an incentive or reward, in that use of the drug provides a gameplay advantage to the player" as the reason for refusing classification. While drug use is permitted in Australian games, it cannot offer gameplay advantages. Developers have historically navigated this by altering in-game drug names or their effects. IllFonic has stated it made "every effort" to address these concerns, though specific details on how the game's mechanics were modified to satisfy the ACB's guidelines have not been fully elaborated.