Bloober Team’s Xbox Series S/X titled The Medium exclusive game receives a major setback after getting classification in Australia.
Apart from the Xbox platforms, The Medium would be available for Windows users as well.
According to a Video Games Chronicle report, the game was set to feature a “never-seen-before and officially patented gameplay” that would play across two worlds at the same time.
Akira Yamaoka, who previously composed music for Silent Hill, composed music for The Medium as well. The initial date of launch for The Medium is December 10.
But there is a high possibility of it being pushed ahead since it has not received the classification board’s approval.
According to a report by Gaming Bolt, Australia’s Classification Board has been pretty strict about the content that goes on the market for media consumption.
That means, as of now, The Medium cannot be legally purchased in Australia. However, developers would still try to get around the refused classification and re-submit their application. They might even have to omit gore scenes to get the approval.
What’s the problem?
The Medium is a mysterious psychological thriller trailer of which has hinted at violence against children.
Australia’s Classification Board has been pretty strict against content that includes violence against children. However, the refused listing does not mention that the type of content is why the game is not getting approval.
Bloober Team could have also messed up their application, which is not unusual for small developers. In cases of administrative difficulty like this, they can submit their form again and get approval.
Past games
Bloober Team’s previous games have been more about psychological horror than graphics depicting gore, sex, and blood.
If Games like Cyberpunk 2077 can get R18+ without any trouble, The Medium should be okay as well, according to a report by Destructoid.
Even in cases of genuine clashes with Australia’s classification board regarding the content in a game, developers generally get around with making little tweaks in the games. Games like Wasteland III and Outlast II are the perfect examples of this.
They got an R18+ rating after omitting disturbing scenes so that they could get approval from the government.
The future of The Medium
Developers have not issued any official statements and have said that they are working on the issue. However, Kotaku does not fail to mention the shortcomings of the Australian Classification Board.
Even if there is an administrative error for The Medium not to get approval, it still does not mean that the board does not need any change.
Image courtesy of IGN/YouTube Screenshot