Halloween: The Game has been refused classification in Australia, preventing the upcoming horror game from being legally sold there. The surprising part is why: the Australian Classification Board’s objection apparently has nothing to do with Michael Myers’ violence or the game’s depiction of murder. Instead, the problem is an interactive cannabis mechanic that allows players to smoke weed during gameplay.
According to developer IllFonic, the Australian Classification Board denied the game a rating because it contains a controlled substance. As a result, the game will not be available for sale physically or digitally in Australia or New Zealand. While “banned” is often used to describe situations like this, the more precise terminology is that Australia has refused to classify the game, which prevents it from being legally sold in the country.
The cannabis isn’t merely a background detail. Players can actively smoke it as part of the game’s mechanics, and the activity provides an in-game benefit. That distinction is particularly important under Australia’s classification system, which has previously scrutinized games that allow players to interact with drugs in ways that provide gameplay incentives. The issue, therefore, isn’t simply that cannabis exists within the fictional world of Halloween: The Game. Players are given the ability to use it themselves as part of the gameplay experience.
The decision is especially ironic given the game’s premise. Halloween: The Game is an adaptation of the slasher franchise centered around Michael Myers, meaning players can expect plenty of violence and horror as they attempt to survive encounters with one of cinema’s most recognizable killers. Yet the element preventing the game from receiving a classification is not the violence associated with Michael Myers. It is the ability to smoke cannabis.
This isn’t entirely unprecedented. Australia has previously refused classification to video games over their depictions of drug use, particularly when players can actively participate in drug-related activities or receive some kind of benefit from doing so. Some games involved in previous classification disputes have eventually received ratings after changes were made or decisions were overturned.
For now, however, IllFonic’s decision means Australian and New Zealand players will be unable to legally purchase Halloween: The Game when it releases. Unless the game’s cannabis mechanic is changed or the classification decision is otherwise reconsidered, Michael Myers’ latest virtual killing spree will have a rather unusual obstacle standing in its way: weed.