God of War III devs concerned about game getting banned in Australia
Australian gamers have long lamented the difficulties that the lack of an 18+ rating has caused in their home country. Almost every year, we hear about high-profile games being banned or watered down just so they can squeeze past the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s (OFLC) tight screening process. Entries in Sony‘s God of War series have so far been able to arrive safely in the territory, but according to Digital Life, the developers of God of War III have expressed concern about whether or not the game will be able to do the same.
Australian gamers have long lamented the difficulties that the lack of an 18+ rating has caused in their home country. Almost every year, we hear about high-profile games being banned or watered down just so they can squeeze past the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s (OFLC) tight screening process.
Entries in Sony‘s God of War series have so far been able to arrive safely in the territory, but according to Digital Life, the developers of God of War III have expressed concern about whether or not the game will be able to do the same.
“There is (concern),” said art director Sean Cunningham. “We try to push the boundaries a little bit. (But) weÂ’ve had meetings and discussions and internally we all have a good gauge on whatÂ’s ‘too far’.”
One person’s idea of what goes too far doesn’t necessarily hold true for another, though, so Cunningham and the rest of the God of War III dev team have constantly been checking in with screening bodies to know exactly what’s OK for them to put in the game.
“You throw something past them and they might say ‘Absolutely not! You could not do that!’ and weÂ’re all like: ‘Aww, cÂ’mon, that was a great idea!’ There have been a couple of thoseÂ…”
Cunningham also gave a taste of what fans can expect from the series’ first PS3 outing. “The disembowelment of the centaur, ripping HeliosÂ’s head off, the reaction from the floor has been amazing. Everybody in the studio is very happy.”
God of War III is due to be released in 2010. We’ll know then if the scenes Cunningham described prove to be acceptable for the OFLC.
Related articles:
- Australia to block online access to games with content beyond MA-15
- God of War III lead designer talks graphics and development
Via Digital Life
About The Author
