Left 4 Dead 2 Banned In Australia

Left 4 Dead 2 is effectively illegal to sell in Australia after the Classification Board announced their refusal to assign the game a content rating.

According to a report released this morning, "the game contains violence that is high in impact and is therefore unsuitable for persons under 18 years to play." Australia has no content rating for games higher than Mature/15+, thus any title deemed "adults only" cannot be legally sold. The refusal was not unanimous, as the report further claims a "minority of the board is of the opinion that the violence is strong in playing impact and therefore warrants an MA15+ classification."

This isn't the first time a prominent video game has been denied distribution down under due to content (Fallout 3 was rumored to face a ban due to in-game consumption of morphine) and given Valve's history of adapting to censorship, Aussies may still see the zombie-slaying sequel on store shelves. A spokesmen for EA told Kotaku reporters that they were unwilling to officially comment as they "are still working through the submission process with OFLC and want to explore all opportunities."

Left 4 Dead 2 is expected to release November 17th in North America proudly bearing a Mature ESRB sticker with ratings for "extreme blood and gore" and "intense violence."