When it came to an official ruling, a couple of months ago, We Happy Few's release was cancelled in Australia as the game was considered unsafe due to its supposed incentivized drug use.
While there's certainly some truth to the classification's claim; in-game the player encounter many people hopped up on a faux-narcotic named "Joy" in order to blend remain happy in an all too dingy world. Many anticipating fans believed that the classification board's ruling was unjust and, after many a petition and plea, the Classification Board announced a week ago that it would reconsider its ruling.
Today it was announced that the We Happy Few's ban has been repealed and it will be officially releasing in Australia - just with an R 18+ classification attached to it (which basically means that if you're over the age of 18, you're good to go).
Here's what the classification board had to say about its new ruling:
A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the computer game We Happy Few is classified R18+ (Restricted) with the consumer advice 'Fantasy violence and interactive drug use.
In the Classification Review Board’s opinion We Happy Few warrants an R 18+ classification because the interactive drug use is high in impact. The overall impact of the classifiable elements in the computer game was no greater than high.
Compulsion Games themselves announced that the repeal took place - here's what the game studio had to say on the matter:
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 want to thank everybody who got involved in the discussion, contacted the board and sent us countless messages of support. Your involvement made a huge difference.
This isn't the first time that Australia's classifcation board has reaped controversial results on account of a popular video game. In 2014, Grand Theft Auto V was banned due to its apparent customer concerns regarding "depictions of violence against women."
What do you think about the ban and repeal? Do you think Australia's classification board is too harsh?
It is a tale of a plucky bunch of moderately terrible people trying to escape from a lifetime of cheerful denial. Set in a drug-fuelled, retro-futuristic city in an alternative 1960s England, players will have to blend in with its other inhabitants, who don’t take kindly to people who don’t abide by their not-so-normal rules.
We Happy Few will be officially releasing on August 10th.