Fallout 3 Censorship Goes Global

Bethesda has revealed that following trouble with the ratings board in Australia, all versions of Fallout 3 will be identically censored when the game is released in October.

"We want to make sure folks understand that the Australian version of Fallout 3 is identical to both the UK and North American versions in every way, on every platform," Bethesda VP Pete Hines told Edge.

Fallout 3, a sequel expanding on Black Isle's classic PC RPG series, was initially refused classification in Australia, effectively banning the game from sale. The game was modified so that "the reward and incentive" for in-game drug use was reduced significantly and then given an MA-15+ rating.

Names for real-world drugs have also been removed from the game. Hines asserted, "An issue was raised concerning references to real world, proscribed drugs in the game, and we subsequently removed those references and replaced them with fictional names."