Last week, we brought you the news that the Australian Classification Board had opted to ban Devolver Digital’s upcoming Hotline Miami 2 based on a “visual depiction of sexual violence.” Understandably, fans in the territory have been left rather disappointed, and when one asked the studio for advice, Devolver advised that those players Down Under should simply pirate the game regardless of the recent ban.
Here’s the message thread, which was first picked up by Oxcgn:
“How would you, as the developer, most like me to obtain your game?” the fan asks in his email to Söderström. “I was thinking that maybe I could torrent it and donate to you directly, but I’m not a fan of torrenting games and I don’t want to get in legal trouble.”
Söderström responded: “If it ends up not being released in Australia, just pirate it after release. No need to send us money, just enjoy the game!”
Controversy first came to light back in August of 2014 when the aforementioned scene was cut from the demo build of Hotline Miami 2 following questions of gratuitous violence. Since that time, the studio confirmed that it would rework the segment before the sequel’s full release.
However, those who have seen the gameplay snippet in question will know that it is within a part of the game when the playable protagonist is on a movie set — i.e. the entire part is fictitious. Moreover, Devolver had included a filter that warns players of sensitive content prior to the scene, while also providing them with the chance to skip it entirely if they so please.
Hotline Miami 2 is expected to arrive across consoles and PC platforms sometime in spring. Tell us, what do you make of the recent ban by the Australian Classification Board? Let us know in the comments.
