One game has been banned in Australia in 2023.
MUGEN SOULS (2023) was initially classified under the automated International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) system. Following a review, it was increased to Refused Classification.
Mugen Souls
Developed by Idea Factory – Compile Heart / 2012/2023 / MobyGames
In March 2012, NIS America announced a forthcoming PlayStation 3 release of MUGEN SOULS.
Their press release warned, ‘Due to the sensitive nature of some content, NIS America has decided to edit certain aspects of this title for its North American and European releases’.
The problem content was a bathhouse mini-game and over 100 CGs that it unlocks.
In July 2012, the same censored version received an M (Sexualised imagery and sexual references) from the Classification Board.
The applicant was Namco Bandai Partners Australia.
Uncut release
In April 2023, the Hong Kong-based Eastasiasoft released the uncut version on Nintendo Switch.
It was banned in Australia under the automated International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) system on June 26. The National Classification Database listed it as ‘Modified’, indicating the original, now removed, IARC rating was lower.
June 28, 2023
– Twitter @eastasiasoft
Nintendo Switch players, please note that while MUGEN SOULS has recently been delisted in Australia, you can rest assured that it will remain available on the eShop in North America and Europe without content changes.
They confirmed the Classification Board had manually checked the original IARC rating and upgraded it to RC. This may be the first instance of a review of an IARC decision resulting in a ban.
July 2, 2023
– Twitter @eastasiasoft
It was properly reviewed, so it won’t come back. MUGEN SOULS will remain available in other regions and as physical copy.
IARC rated but manually reviewed by ACB which caused the rating update/delisting. Our version is based on the original Japanese release, which differs from previous English releases and is higher rated. (ESRB Mature / PEGI 18).
The Classification Board’s manual review of MUGEN SOULS warrants its inclusion in the Game Censorship Database.