It’s been common knowledge now among the gaming industry that Australia is very strict on censorship when it comes to video games. There have been numerous stories of Australia outright banning titles due to its graphic content, whether it’d be violent or sexual. The most recent of these titles is the upcoming horror title, We Happy Few from Compulsion Games. A couple months ago, the game had been refused classification by the Australia Classification Board, a decision that Compulsion Games did not hide their frustration over.
Fast forward to today, and Australian gamers can be happy knowing that this decision has been overturned. At a review panel with Classification Board, it has now been decided that We Happy Few will be released in Australia with no added censorship or modifications. The kicker is that it will have to be released under the R18+ rating, which is Australia’s toughest rating, with the statement being that We Happy Few’s content will have a huge impact.
As good as this news may be, it’s still a shame considering this R18+ rating will surely have an impact on sales in Australia. Similar to the MPAA’s NC-17 film rating or the ESRB’s AO game rating, it ends up hindering sales since consumers will have a tougher time picking up the title. The R18+ is said to have put an emphasis on the game’s depiction of drug use. In We Happy Few, citizens of the town are given a drug called Joy, which keeps them sedated and “happy.” The Board states that “the game’s drug-use mechanic making game progression less difficult constitutes an incentive or reward for drug-use.” This is somewhat ironic considering the context of We Happy Few. In the games’ fictional town of Wellington Wells, Joy is mainly used by the town’s leaders to keep the townsfolk under control, as everyone is supposed to be “happy” all the time. Essentially, the Joy drug is presented in a negative light for the overall narrative since the main character wants to get away from this fake Utopia.
In a statement by Compulsion Games, they are excited that decision has been overturned following their tremendous effort. “We are extremely pleased with the decision of the board and excited that our Australian fans and new players will be able to experience We Happy Few without modification.”
We Happy Few is being published by Gearbox Publishing and is set to release on August 10 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
