Saints Row IV denied R18+ rating in Australia
Review board upholds initial ruling on the grounds of depictions of drug use
The Australian Classification Board (ACB) has upheld its decision to ban Saints Row 4 from sales in the region.
Saints Row 4 was under review at Koch Media's request after the board's initial ruling last month. However, the board has decided that the game's content does not fit the criteria of the recently established R18+ classification, "as drug use related to incentives and rewards [are] not permitted."
At the time of the initial classification, the board listed the game's depiction of drug use as a secondary concern to scenes of "implied sexual violence." This refers to a an anal-probe weapon called the "Rectifier", which Koch removed from the game ahead of the ACB's review.
Undead Labs' State of Decay was also refused classification by the ACB last month due to incentivised drug use.