Syndicate refused classification in Australia, called 'unsuitable for a minor' [update]
Syndicate has been refused classification in Australia, due to being "unsuitable for a minor to see or play." The current Australian classification standards still reject classification (i.e. ban) for any game that is only suitable for citizens over the age of 15.
"Combatants take locational damage and can be explicitly dismembered, decapitated or bisected by the force of the gunfire. The depictions are accompanied by copious bloodspray and injuries are shown realistically and with detail," reads the Classification report obtained by VG24/7. "Flesh and bone are often exposed while arterial sprays of blood continue to spurt from wounds at regular intervals," the report states, discussing an example mission."
The most high-profile Aussie rejection in 2011 was Mortal Kombat, which tried to appeal the decision and lost. The Witcher 2 avoided the issue with a small edit to pass the board. We've contacted EA to find out if the publisher will appeal or resubmit the title with alterations.
Update: EA not releasing Syndicate in Australia, notes "arcane censorship."
