RimWorld is an immersive space colony management sim – it’s kind of like a Dwarf Fortress in space. Because of the freedom it provides and how detailed the simulation is, many Indeed dark things can happen and this is probably why the Australian Classification Board effectively banned the game.
Stop right now though, because RimWorld has been available to Australian buyers on Steam since Early Access began in late 2013. The reason for the game’s reappearance on the Classboard website seems to be due to the inevitable ports of the console: Double Eleven. The applicant is Limited, a studio that has ported games like Rust to consoles.
A console port for RimWorld hasn’t been announced, but apparently one is coming and Australian console gamers won’t be able to buy the game unless Ludeon Studios or Double Eleven make some changes. Here’s Beef classification By the way:
A computer game is classified as an RC under the National Classification Code, Computer Game Table, 1. (a) as computer games that “depict, express or otherwise deal with issues of sex, drug abuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or heinous or heinous phenomena in such a way that they violate the standards of morality, decency and decorum generally accepted by reasonable adults, to such an extent that they should not be classified.
If you are an Australian who already has RimWorld on PC, the board is not going to take it away from you. But more importantly, this decision is unlikely to result in the game being delisted: Disco Elysium was also banned ahead of the console’s release in Australia, but remained available on all PC digital stores anyway (this ban was eventually lifted). Whatever happens, I’ve contacted Double Eleven Studios and will let you know if I get a response. Hooray Kotaku for the head.
