We Happy Few will no longer be banned in Australia

This afternoon the Australian Classification Board reversed a “refusal of classification” ruling on the upcoming video game, We Happy Few. The game was originally refused classification and therefore unable to be sold in Australia back in May. The reason for the game’s original refusal? Drug use with an incentive to the player. The specific clause that was breached by the game can be read in full below.

“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.”

In a rare turn of events that original refusal of classification has been undone and the game is now due to release as an R18+ product on August 10th of this year.

A media release sent out by the Australian Classification Board states that “a three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the computer game We Happy Few is classified R 18+ (Restricted) with the consumer advice ‘Fantasy violence and interactive drug use’.”

The release went on to specify that whilst drug use within the game was high in impact, it did not exceed the limits that would push the game into non-classification. We also know that it was We Happy Few’s publisher, Gearbox, that applied to have the game’s refusal of classification revised. Good work Gearbox.

The specific reason as to why the board changed their perspective is yet unknown. Although we can expect a full statement to be published to the ACB’s website when it is ready. We Happy Few is set to launch worldwide on August 10th on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.