Call of Duty: WWII has been changed in Australia because of a scene implying a sexual assault.
Australia’s Classification Board spoke about the scene, saying there was “a reference to sexual violence that is justified by context.” The scene has been altered, with minor details changed. Kotaku reported, after contacting the Classification Board, going into details on the scene.
Spoilers below:
“In one section of the game, the player controls Rosseau, a female spy, as she infiltrates a German building. While inside, she witnesses a woman as she is dragged by a Nazi soldier into a closet, against her will, screaming, “You’re all pigs!” Rosseau opens the closet door, as the soldier says, “Leave. This is none of your business.” The player is then given the option to kill the soldier or leave.
If the player chooses to leave, the player closes the door, as the soldier is heard unziping his fly and viewed advancing towards the woman. She screams, “Ah! Get away from me!” as Rosseau leaves. It is implied that the soldier is going to sexually assault the woman, but at no time is the assault depicted.”
Call of Duty: WWII has been rated an R18+ in Australia with the scene, which would hamper sales; Activision submitted a modified version of the scene, but the game still retained its R18+ rating. The board released this statement regarding their decision:
“In the Board’s opinion, the modifications to this game – which include the change of dress for the female prisoner (was in a skirt and top, now in a pants and top) and the removal of audio that implies a soldier is unzipping his pants – do not contain any classifiable elements that alter this classification or exceed a R18+ impact level.
In the Board’s opinion, the removal of the audio track means that consumer advice of threat of sexual violence is not required. Therefore, this modified computer game warrants an R18+ classification with consumer advice of high impact violence [and] online interactivity.”
The game is released on November 3 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It is unclear if the modification is only for Australian version of the game, or if it will carry across to other territories.
