Starfield, Bethesda’s forthcoming space RPG, has been given a Restricted rating in Australia.
As spotted by GameInfinitus, the game’s classification is primarily due to interactive drug use, as well as the strong impact of violence and some nudity.
The Australian Classification Board has a particularly low tolerance to drug use in games. The likes of Disco Elysium, DayZ, and RimWorld were all initially banned from sale in Australia due to themes of drug use.
And so too was Bethesda’s own Fallout 3 back in 2008, which had the incentive for drug use toned down.
Indeed, Bethesda is no stranger to drugs in its games – the fictional Jet occurs frequently in the Fallout series.
It seems Starfield will be no different.
Further, while the game contains some nudity, the game doesn’t include any sex. So don’t expect any intimate relationships with the game’s companions to be shown on screen.
Starfield was recently delayed until 6th September this year, but a Direct showcase is planned for 11th June where we’ll get a more in-depth look at the game.
