File No: T15/0021
Decision Report
Classification decisions are made in accordance with the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer
Games) Act 1995 (the Act), the National Classification Code and the Classification Guidelines.
Production Details:
Title:
HOTLINE MIAMI 2: WRONG NUMBER
Alternate titles:
Publisher:
DEVOLVER DIGITAL
Programmer:
DENNATON
Production Company:
Year of Production:
2015
Duration:
VARIABLE
Version:
ORIGINAL
Country/ies of origin:
SWEDEN
Language/s:
ENGLISH
Application type:
CG1
Applicant:
DEVOLVER DIGITAL
Dates:
Date application received by the Classification Board: 06 January 2015
Date of decision: 14 January 2015
Decision:
Classification:
RC
Consumer advice:
_________________________________________________________
A senior panellist has confirmed that the application considered was valid under the Act and that this Decision
Report accurately reflects the Board’s decision and any minority opinions.
Synopsis:
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong number is a 3rd person shooter set in a 1980s Miami underworld and is a
conclusion to the Hotline Miami saga. Gameplay appears in a 2D top-down view using 1980s style
pixilated graphics. The player traverses 27 different stages. A wide variety of weapons can be
used, including melee, thrown and ranged weapons, which the player employs to kill all enemies.
Reasons for the Decision:
In making this decision, the Classification Board has applied the Classification (Publications, Films
and Computer Games) Act 1995 (the Classification Act), the National Classification Code (the
Code) and the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games 2012 (the Guidelines).
In the Board’s view this game warrants an ‘RC’ classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the
computer games table of the Code:
“1. Computer games that:
(a) depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime,
cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the
standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the
extent that they should not be classified;” will be Refused Classification.
Computer games that exceed the R18+ classification category will be Refused Classification. In
the R18+ classification category, "actual sexual violence is not permitted. Implied sexual violence
that is visually depicted, interactive, not justified by context or related to incentives or rewards is
not permitted". Computer Games will be Refused Classification if they include or contain implied
sexual violence that is visually depicted.
The examples described below do not represent an exhaustive list of the content that caused the
computer game to be refused classified.
In the sequence of game play footage titled Midnight Animal, the protagonist character bursts
into what appears to be a movie set and explicitly kills 4 people, who collapse to the floor in a
pool of copious blood, often accompanied by blood splatter. After stomping on the head of a fifth
male character, he strikes a female character wearing red underwear. She is knocked to the floor
and is viewed lying face down in a pool of copious blood. The male character is viewed with his
pants halfway down, partially exposing his buttocks. He is viewed pinning the female down by the
arms and lying on top of her thrusting, implicitly raping her (either rear entry or anally) while her
legs are viewed kicking as she struggles beneath him. This visual depiction of implied sexual
violence is emphasised by it being mid-screen, with a red backdrop pulsating and the remainder
of the screen being surrounded by black.
This depiction of implied sexual violence exceeds what can be accommodated within the R18+
classification category and the game is therefore Refused Classification.
Decision:
This game is Refused Classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of
the Code.
