Another day, another drama with game regulation in Australia. And now for the really funny part: Schedule I, a game centered around players going into the world of drug dealing, has been exterminated off Steam in the southern continent. Why? Because the game was not classified correctly by the Australian Classification Board, something mandatory for selling any game there.
So what is this Schedule I all about? Well, in the Tyler-from-TVGS game, Schedule I is where you manage your drug empire-buying and selling to make sure hardly any cops make a visit to your backdoor. Could it be that wild? Still, Australia has a stringent code concerning drug content, and it did not approve since it was never given a rating. Tyler himself went onto Twitter and explained this was not a ban but just a temporary removal while he got his paperwork sorted out. He thought it was only a rating required for physical and console releases, but of course, digital games must be rated too.
Now, as is the case, if one already bought the game, their above the law. It remains in their library and they can play on. However, if you are in Australia and have not bought it yet, then no using or buying it until Tyler gets it sorted. Having said that, given Australia’s record of previous decisions, no one has a clue as to how long that will take.
What happened next, naturally, resulted in the net buzzing. Some people were quick to dunk on Australia and to call it “for no fun allowed” (now Schnitzel the Radda will be biting into this). However, RyanTheWolf picked up the irony-the land with the “most demonic wildlife” should be so sensitive about video games. Then there was X CREED with genuine fury, claiming the game should be removed from everywhere because “this world is doomed.” Yikes.
Well, not everybody was downing it. Some users like chasaimo not only threw shade but explained what exactly was going on. Big ups for those people. Grok wrote a paragraph elucidating further on the legality and threw in some unrelated copyright investigations as well. Now that’s thorough.
Even so, while the developer is trying to expedite a solution, let’s be honest: with Australia’s classification process, it’s not like the end is soon in sight. So if you do live in Australia and really were looking forward to Schedule I, you might be waiting a while.
If you are asking why Australia cares so much, then there is a short story: they have a track record for being really strict when it comes to games. Remember them refusing to classify Hotline Miami 2? Or them forcing a mission cut from Saints Row IV which involved alien drugs? So serious about it.
So yep, another day, another game caught in Australia’s regulatory web. Will Schedule I make a comeback? Hopefully. Until then, though, it’s a dry spell as Aussie gamers will have to look elsewhere to live that underground drug lord dream. GTA Online, maybe? Just saying.
So that’s the history thus far. Keep an eye out for any updates, and maybe keep watching what’s next to come out of Australia-because you know they ain’t done yet.
