Bloober Team's Xbox Series X|S exclusive The Medium was refused classification rating from the Australian Classification Board. This means that The Medium will be banned from release in Australia until rectified.
The Medium is one of the most anticipated early next-gen games and many Xbox Series X|S and PC owners are looking forward to playing Bloober Team's unique horror title, which is landing in December 2020.
However, the release may not go as smooth as Bloober Team hoped, at least that's the case in Australia. Kotaku reports that the game has been refused classification rating from the Australian Classification Board.
This could mean that The Medium will be banned from release in Australia until the decision is rectified. However, it would not be the first time that the game has been refused classification but players still got to play it.
For example, Crusader Kings 3 was available to Australians via Xbox Game Pass even though it was refused classification. CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 2 is another game that had issues with the rating board in Australia. The developer had to modify the Australian version due to Geralt being offered sex as a reward.
Bloober Team
At the moment, it is unknown why exactly was The Medium refused classification. It's entirely possible that Bloober Team messed up their application or that it's a system error on the classification board end.
The game itself probably features a lot of content that is considered graphic or violent, which may be a reason for the refused classification. Hopefully, more details will be revealed in the upcoming days and weeks.
