ACB also confirmed that the specific entry was removed and that “a classification decision will be published ahead of the game’s release.”
Konami just released a trailer for the newest Silent Hill instalment last week, and it’s already involved in controversy. Reports surfaced on Monday morning (24 March) that Silent Hill f had been initially placed in a “refused classification” status in Australia. A game that is under “refused classification” status means that it cannot be sold in the country. Simply put, it is banned from the country.
However, this ban was later lifted, with details on the game’s classification made private. On top of that, the Australian Classification Board (ACB) has clarified that Silent Hill f is not banned in Australia.
“Silent Hill f is not currently classified as ‘Refused Classification’ in Australia,” the board said in a statement sent to multiple Australian media outlets, including Stevivor. ACB also confirmed that the specific entry was removed and that “a classification decision will be published ahead of the game’s release.”
What’s the classification process in Australia?
Most games that get an RC rating in Australia include content like sexual violence, drug use with rewards, or depictions of minors in sexual or violent situations. Silent Hill: Homecoming faced a similar issue in 2008 because of a violent torture scene, although this was before the R18+ category existed. The game was later released with edited scenes to fit the MA15+ rating.
Silent Hill f’s initial ban wasn’t directly from the ACB, but came from an automated tool called the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). This system is used for digitally distributed games and works by having publishers answer a questionnaire about the game's content. Based on the responses, it assigns a rating that automatically appears in each country’s classification database.
Australia adopted the IARC system in 2014 because the ACB was only rating around 755 games a year, while tens of thousands more were being released on platforms like the iOS App Store. The IARC tool is free to use and helps small developers, but it has been known to give stricter ratings than human assessors. Games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few were also incorrectly flagged to be banned due to IARC ratings.
Silent Hill f, announced in October 2022, is set in 1960s Japan. Konami describes it as "a completely new story" within the franchise. The game is written by Ryūkishi07, known for his work on Japanese visual novels that explore murder mysteries, psychological themes, and supernatural horror.
