"Silent Hill f Denied Classification in Australia"

Konami's upcoming game, Silent Hill f, has encountered a significant hurdle in Australia, receiving a Refused Classification (RC) rating. This means the game cannot currently be sold in the country. However, this rating was assigned by an automated tool from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), rather than by members of the Australian Classification Board. Given past precedents, it's likely that this isn't the final word on the game's fate in Australia.

Konami does not handle local distribution in Australia, so IGN reached out to their third-party distribution partner for comments on the situation. The exact reasons behind the RC rating for Silent Hill f have not been disclosed yet. In Australia, since the introduction of the R18+ category for games in January 2013, games are typically refused classification due to content involving sexual activity with minors, depictions of sexual violence, or linking rewards to drug use. A previous installment, Silent Hill: Homecoming, faced a similar issue in 2008 due to a high-impact torture scene. It was eventually released in Australia with modified camera angles, receiving an MA15+ rating.

It's worth noting that the RC rating for *Silent Hill f* was determined by the IARC's online tool, designed for mobile and digitally delivered games. This tool uses an online questionnaire to gather information about a game's content, which then automatically generates ratings for each participating country, including Australia, and publishes them on the National Classification Database.

Since its adoption in Australia in 2014, the IARC tool has been used exclusively for digitally distributed games, addressing the overwhelming number of games released annually on platforms like the iOS app store. There have been instances where the IARC's automated ratings have been higher than those assigned by human classifiers from the Australian Classification Board. For example, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few were mistakenly reported as banned in Australia in 2019.

The IARC tool is free, making it particularly useful for smaller publishers and developers. However, all physical game releases still require a rating from the Classification Board. If Silent Hill f is planned for a physical release in Australia, a submission to the Classification Board would be necessary regardless of the IARC rating. The Classification Board has the authority to override any IARC-assigned rating if it deems it necessary.

In Australia, game publishers can employ staff as accredited classifiers or authorized assessors. Accredited classifiers, after receiving training from the Classification Board, can classify games themselves, and their decisions are recognized as official. Authorized assessors, with similar training, can only make recommendations to the Classification Board, which then makes the final decision.

At this point, it's premature to determine whether the RC rating for Silent Hill f will be upheld following further review. Interestingly, Silent Hill f has also received an 18+ rating certification in Japan, marking it as the first in the series to do so.