Konami's eagerly anticipated game, *Silent Hill f*, has encountered a roadblock in Australia, being refused classification and thus unable to be sold there at the moment. However, this rating was determined by an automated tool rather than by members of the Australian Classification Board, suggesting that the situation might still evolve, based on past precedents.

Konami does not handle its own distribution in Australia, and IGN has reached out to their local third-party distributor for their input on this matter.

The exact reasons behind *Silent Hill f*'s refusal of classification have not been disclosed yet. Since the introduction of an adults-only category (R18+) in Australia in January 2013, games are typically refused classification due to content involving sexual activity with individuals appearing to be under 18, graphic depictions of sexual violence, or incentivizing drug use. Previously, *Silent Hill: Homecoming* from 2008 faced a similar issue due to a high-impact torture scene but was released after adjustments and received an MA15+ rating following the introduction of the R18+ category.

Interestingly, *Silent Hill f*'s rating in Australia was generated by an online tool managed by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), designed for mobile and digital game classifications. The IARC tool uses a questionnaire about the game's content to assign ratings automatically for each participating country. In Australia, these ratings are then published on the National Classification Database. This tool, adopted in 2014, was a response to the overwhelming number of games released annually, particularly on platforms like the iOS app store.

There have been cases where the IARC tool's automated ratings were higher than those assigned by the Australian Classification Board, leading to misconceptions about bans, such as with *Kingdom Come: Deliverance* and *We Happy Few* in 2019. The IARC tool is free, making it especially useful for smaller developers and publishers. Nonetheless, physical game releases still require a direct rating from the Classification Board, and the Board can override any IARC-assigned classification.

In Australia, game publishers can employ staff as accredited classifiers or authorized assessors. Accredited classifiers, after receiving training from the Classification Board, can make official classification decisions. Authorized assessors, with similar training, can only recommend a classification to the Board, which then decides whether to adopt it.

While it's premature to conclude whether *Silent Hill f*'s current rating will stand, it's notable that this game has received an 18+ rating in Japan, marking it as the first in the *Silent Hill* series to do so.