Hotline Miami 2's PS5 port launched worldwide in 2023, including in Australia - a country where the game had been effectively banned years earlier. Somebody at PlayStation has seemingly finally realized the mistake, as Hotline Miami 2 is now being deleted from Australian PS5s and refunded to those who'd previously purchased it. Publisher Devolver Digital has responded to the news with a single, perfect screenshot.
"We have become aware that the product Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has not received a proper rating from the Australian Classification Board and have therefore taken steps to refund customers who have purchased the game," PlayStation said in a customer service email, as reported by Australian outlet Press Start.
Eurogamer got in touch with publisher Devolver for comment on the news, and the studio responded with a "visual statement" on the situation. That statement is presented in full below.
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The Australian Classification Board assigns ratings to games and other media. If something is refused a classification for what the Board deems as extreme content, it cannot be sold or exhibited in the country. A particularly notable example is Fallout 3, which was initially refused classification because of "realistic visual representations of drugs." The game was later released with an MA 15+ rating when Bethesda changed the name of an in-game item labeled "morphine" to the fictional "Med-X."
Hotline Miami 2 garnered controversy around the world ahead of its launch because of a scene depicting sexual assault, couched as part of a fictional movie being filmed in the game world. The scene was criticized by several media outlets when it was shown ahead of launch, but the game was released in much of the world uncut. Except, of course, in Australia, where the scene was enough for the game to be refused classification. As Ars Technica reported at the time, designer Jonatan Söderström had some simple advice for Australians who wanted to play the game: "Just pirate it."
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