The Australian Classification Board has banned the sale of Hotline Miami 2 in the country in response to an in-game "implied rape scene."
The scene in question takes place during the game's opening sequence. It involves the player slaughtering a few male enemies with a hammer before pushing a woman to the ground and having his way with her.
The scene is available below. Warning: content might not be suitable for young audience.
The Australian Classification Board issued an official statement clarifying its position. The statements reads as follows:
"The computer game is classified RC [Refused Classification] in accordance with the National Classification Code, Computer Games Table, 1. (a) as computer games that 'depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified."
Hotline Miami 2 co-creator Denis Wedin believes that the ban is unjustified, specially that the game gives the player the choice to "avoid content that alludes to sexual violence." Nonetheless, the development team has no intention to challenge the board's decision and Hotline Miami 2 designer Jonatan Söderström is actually asking Australian fans to "just pirate the game" if it continues to be unavailable in their country.
