So, Hotline Miami 2 has been denied a rating by the notoriously cranky Australian Classification Board, barring the game from legitimate sale in the land down undah. Whether you find the scene of sexual violence that got the game in trouble a deal-breaker or not (it isn’t quite as bad as the Aussie Classification Board made it seem, check out this video for context) banning the game outright is a bit of an extreme move, and it’s unfortunate Australian fans of the original Hotline Miami won’t get to play the sequel.
Usually when the Australian Classification Board starts throwing its weight around, game publishers fold – even Trey Parker and Matt Stone allowed South Park: The Stick of Truth to be censored (albeit in a typically snarky South Park sort of way). That won’t be happening with Hotline Miami 2 though, as publisher Devolver Digital has decided not to make any cuts to the game.
So, what should Australians who want to play Hotline Miami 2 do? Well, designer/creator of the series Jonatan Söderström has a suggestion – pirate it! When a concerned fan emailed Söderström about the Australian situation, he sent back this cheery message…
“If it ends up being not released in Australia, just pirate it after release. No need to send us any money, just enjoy the game!”
Devolver Digital has since confirmed that the email, which was posted to Reddit, was real. It’s all a bit of a mess, and yet it’s also a nice nugget of publicity for a series that has never been shy about courting controversy. If Hotline Miami 2 has to sacrifice Australian sales in order to get extra rebel cred and sales in the rest of the world, well, I’m sure the developers and publisher aren’t crying too hard.
Via Ars Technica