The Australian Classification Board appears to have refused giving classification to DayZ. The decision comes as surprise considering that the game already received approval to be sold in the region.
The ACB has long been known to be strict when it comes to handing out ratings. Last year for example, We Happy Few was refused classification which meant that sale of the game was not allowed in the country. Saints Row IV also failed to pass the rather rigid process of the Board.
According to the ACB website, DayZ was refused classification as it fell under Games 1(a). Under this section, DayZ is classified as a game that "depict[s], express[es] or otherwise deal[s] 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."
The only silver lining, if one could call it that, is that the applicant for this particular classification is not developer Bohemia Interactive. Instead it is Five Star Games which is a distribution company. This means that the Refused Classification status is limited to the physical edition.
DayZ is an open world sandbox online game where 60 players follow a single goal to survive as long as they can, by any means necessary. The game gives no superficial tips, waypoints, built-in tutorials or any help. Every decision matters since there are no save games and no extra lives. Once you fail, you lose everything and start over.
Key features of the game include:
- Detailed, authentic backdrop of Chernarus, an open world terrain featuring 230 square kilometers of hand-crafted environment based on real life locations.
- Real emotional experience driven by the emergent interactions of 60 players on the server, all fighting for survival by any means necessary.
- Environmental dangers including the infected, dynamic weather, and animal predators.
- Wide variety of complex survival mechanics - from hunting and crafting, through sophisticated injury simulation, to transferable diseases.
- Persistent servers with complex loot economy, and the ability to build improvised bases.
- Visceral, authentic gun play and melee combat systems.
- Smooth and reactive character controller utilizing a detailed animation system.
- Rewarding and authentic experience of driving vehicles for travel and material transport.
- Robust technology platform featuring modules of Bohemia's new Enfusion Engine.
- Seamless network synchronization and significantly improved game performance.
- A platform fully open to user created content, offering the same tool set used for actual game development.
