In a system where drugs and sex can get a game banned, what about The Medium caught their Australian Classification Board’s attention?
All games face obstacles between development and release, whether it be delays or leadership swaps, and Bloober Team’s The Medium has met theirs: the Australian classification system. The game has been Refused Classification in the region.
The Medium is a psychological horror adventure centring around the mind-boggling landscape of two game worlds at once, and fans aren’t quite sure what about it might have alerted the classification system like this.
The game was initially revealed from the Xbox Series X/S exclusive – though the game is also set for release on PC – and has been eagerly awaited by horror fans.
In the past, games have been banned by the Australian Classification Board due to inappropriate drug usage and representation, excessive gore, and sexual content. Some of these games have had their bans overturned or the games themselves were modified to fit the standards of the Board.
However, fans aren’t sure where The Medium is supposed to fit in all this. The game focuses on psychological horror rather than indiscriminate gory violence, and there has be no notion of inappropriate content expressed to the waiting audience.
The day when you will finally uncover a grim and unsettling reality, a different world that reflects ours like a dark mirror.
December 10th, 2020 – the day when #TheMedium launches for #PC, #XboxSeriesX and #XboxSeriesS
— The Medium Game (@TheMediumGame) October 9, 2020
Enquiries to Bloober Team and Microsoft on this matter seem to have been unsuccessful, so we have no information on why exactly the game received the Refused Classification status.
It’s important to note that this all may have been caused by an IARC form mistake – it wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, the Australian classification guidelines are due for a much needed revamp anyway.
It’s also good to remember that Bloober Team still has time to fix the issue, so don’t worry! There’s still hope that the game will be made available before its release on December 10th.
Find out more about The Medium here.
Read our review of The Medium.
