Halloween: The Game Will Be Available in New Zealand After All

After being refused classification in Australia last week, Halloween: The Game seemed doomed to skip both Australia and New Zealand. However, IGN has learned that the game will actually be available in New Zealand, at least digitally. This news comes after IllFonic, the game's developer, received additional guidance from New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC). The studio announced on social media that Halloween: The Game will be sold digitally in the territory.

The initial confusion arose because the game's physical distributor used the Australian Classification Board (ACB) rating, which takes precedence over the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) rating used for digital sales. When the ACB refused classification, it meant the game couldn't be sold physically or digitally in Australia and New Zealand. However, New Zealand's classification system is unique: it doesn't automatically mirror Australia's decisions. While New Zealand does use some Australian and UK classifications as shortcuts, this only applies to unrestricted content. Games that are age-restricted or refused classification in those countries must be formally classified by the OFLC. In New Zealand, games are exempt from labelling requirements and don't need to be submitted for classification unless they're likely to receive an age-restricted rating or have already been restricted elsewhere. For physical release in New Zealand, Halloween: The Game would need to be classified by the OFLC, but no such classification has been recorded, making a physical release currently impossible. Digital games, however, don't necessarily need a New Zealand classification.

Regarding the Australian refusal, the ACB stated that Halloween: The Game contains illicit drug use linked to incentives or rewards—specifically, using drugs provides a gameplay advantage. In Australia, games can depict drug use but cannot offer rewards or incentives for it. If they do, the board must refuse classification. IllFonic has said it made 'every effort' to work past this, but IGN has asked if they've considered renaming the drugs, as other developers have done. For example, in 2013, State of Decay's developer simply renamed drugs to vitamins to comply with Australian guidelines. If the issue is that smoking marijuana highlights Michael Myers' location on the map, maybe it could be rebranded as tobacco. We've reached out to IllFonic for clarification but haven't received a response yet.