Rumors were circulating in the last couple of days saying that Silent Hill f is banned in Australia. It turns out it was just a false alarm…for now.
Silent Hill f is the upcoming title in the Silent Hill franchise, one of the most popular horror series out there. The series had a massive resurgence in popularity after the Silent Hill 2 Remake, done by Bloober Team. Even before that, Konami teased a new Title called Silent Hill f, without revealing much, until a couple of days ago. Recently, we got the official release trailer for Silent Hill f, showing us that the game is indeed set in rural Japan, instead of the titular town of Silent Hill, Maine. The protagonist is a teenage girl, evading and fighting various traditional yet creepy monsters. The game is said to have some really disturbing themes, giving it a very Mature rating. So much so that it sparked a short-lived controversy about it being banned in Australia because of it.
Silent Hill f Will Probably Come to Australia, It Is Not Banned Yet
In a strange turn of events, Silent Hill f was not rated in Australia, leading many to believe that it would not even be released there. More specifically, the game received a Refused Classification (RC) rating, which generally happens with games that are way too inappropriate, according to local laws (Australian laws, in this case). But, as it turns out, that rating was given to it automatically, by the International Age Rating Coalition, without actually checking it out.
Furthermore, Edmond Tran (former Editor for GamesHub and GameSpot) shared the response he got from the Classification Board: “Silent Hill f is not currently classified as ‘Refused Classification’ in Australia.” The entry has been removed and a decision will be published “ahead of the game’s release”
So, it was a false alarm, due to an “automated system”. That is not to say that Silent Hill f may really be banned in Australia when it is properly reviewed. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
