Halloween: The Game, an asymmetrical multiplayer horror title from Illfonic (the studio behind Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds) in which one player controls Michael Myers while others play survivors, has been denied a rating by the Australian Classification Board. Illfonic announced the news via the game's social media account, stating that despite its efforts, the board refused to classify the game. The studio said the denial had nothing to do with Michael Myers or the game's kills, but was instead tied to the depiction of a controlled substance. As a result, Illfonic said it cannot sell the physical or digital product in either Australia or New Zealand.
According to a report cited by PC Gamer, smoking marijuana as a survivor in the game reportedly lets players temporarily see Michael Myers' location pings across the map — an in-game reward tied to drug use. Under Australia's classification rules, games depicting illicit drug use are allowed, but only if that use isn't incentivized. A spokesperson for the Australian Classification Board told PC Gamer that a decision had not yet been formally published, but noted that under the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games 2023, games containing illicit drug use linked to incentives or rewards cannot be accommodated within the R18+ category and must be Refused Classification.
Despite the board not confirming a published decision, listings for Halloween: The Game have already disappeared from major Australian retailers including EB Games and JB Hi-Fi, and the game's page is no longer accessible on the PlayStation Store, according to PC Gamer. Steam had not yet removed the listing at the time of reporting. The game is set to release on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, with PC Gamer citing a September 9 release date.
This isn't the first time a game has run into trouble with Australian classifiers over drug content. Kotaku noted that Fallout 3 previously renamed its healing item from morphine to Med-X to avoid similar issues, while PC Gamer pointed out that Devolver refused to alter Hotline Miami 2, which remains unavailable in Australia as a result.
The news has reportedly worried some Grand Theft Auto 6 fans in Australia and New Zealand, according to Kotaku, who fear Rockstar's upcoming game could face similar restrictions. Concerns were compounded by GTA Online recently barring Australian players from using the game's casino gambling features, a change believed to stem from regulatory shifts. However, Kotaku noted that Grand Theft Auto V previously launched in Australia with an R18+ rating despite containing drug references, and suggested GTA 6 will likely follow the same path rather than face an outright ban.