Halloween: The Game will get a digital release in New Zealand after all

Halloween: The Game will get a digital release in New Zealand after all, despite initially being lumped in with Australia’s classification refusal.

The Australian Classification Board refused IllFonic’s asymmetric horror game a rating earlier this month over the depiction of a controlled substance, widely reported as a cannabis mechanic tied to the game’s civilian side.

At the time, IllFonic said the decision meant it “cannot sell the physical or digital product in both Australia and New Zealand”, but it turns out that’s not quite right.

According to a new statement from IllFonic, the confusion came down to which ratings body applies to what territory.

“When we partnered with physical distributors to sell packaged goods in Australia and New Zealand, we learned that the ACB rating (used for physical) took precedence over the IARC rating (used for digital),” the studio said. In other words, the Australian refusal only blocks the physical release across both territories – it doesn’t affect New Zealand’s own digital classification, which falls under a different system entirely.

New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification confirmed this when it responded to an email, noting that the game was never submitted for classification in New Zealand and that no local ruling bars its release there.

Digital-only releases can legally be sold in New Zealand without classification, though some platforms choose to seek one anyway.

Australia remains fully blocked, both physically and digitally, unless IllFonic resubmits or amends the game. New Zealand players, meanwhile, will be able to buy Halloween: The Game digitally when it launches on 8th September, alongside PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC – just not physically, with the game’s physical edition following on 6th October elsewhere.

IllFonic reckons its take on Halloween “masterfully recreates” the ambience of the original 1978 movie, with talk of multiple maps set across “authentic” Haddonfield locations, and a soundtrack inspired by John Carpenter’s classic score. Notably too, its familiar asymmetrical multiplayer mode will be accompanied by an offline single-player story mode featuring bots.