CD Projekt RED’s flagship RPG series, The Witcher , has always been a bawdy and violent tale. Geralt tends to find himself in situations that demand the shedding of blood and facilitate the bedding of sultry and generously endowed women. The Polish developer has never been shy, in games past, of toeing the line with regard to how explicit it makes such content. Given the recent refusal of classification for Saints Row IV in Australia, though, even with the new R18+ rating, is CD Projekt RED having any doubts?
“We don’t create the game with any specific rating in mind,” said Agnieszka Szostak, a PR Specialist at CD Projekt RED. “We implement in it things we believe will create the best gaming experience. Whether those are meaningful choices, deep relationships between characters, sex scenes, bloody combat, or curses.”
It’s worth noting that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings did have content removed to qualify for the MA15+ rating in Australia, the highest available at the time. The content that was removed was present in the European and American releases of the game. Saints Row IV appears to be taking a similar path, with a modified “low violence” version appealing on the Australian Steam listings. While the R18+ theoretically provides greater room for freedom with regard to content, it is apparent that the ratings board in Australia still sees themselves as some form of overarching moral authority.
Source: games.on.net