Australia Ratings Board Rises to Eject NSFW ‘Song of Memories’ From Steam
The ban originally landed last year but the 'visual novel' of a game is now getting the boot from Steam. | Source: Song of Memories/Future Tech Lab Co.
The Australian Classification Board is once again flexing its game rating standards and denying Australian gamers access to yet another game, this time focusing on NSFW interactive romantic visual novel , Song of Memories.
The Board has a habit of banning games granted classification in numerous other territories as seen most recently with the hoop-jumping antics required of the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 , code-named Bonaire prior to Rockstar announcing the port earlier this month.
Song of Memories Still Available On Steam Despite Ban
In the case of Song of Memories, the game was refused classification over a year ago on Aug. 15, 2018, meaning storefronts and retailers can no longer sell the game within the Australian territory. Interestingly, it remains available for purchase on the Australian version of digital storefront Steam.
The offending passage involves a sequence where the player witnesses a cut-scene implying the sexual assault of one of the female characters by a gaggle of teenage boys with the intent of murdering her afterward.
The Classification Board’s review paints the scene in more detail, delivering the following verdict on Song of Memories;
In the Board’s opinion, the above examples constituted a depiction of implied sexual violence and therefore the game could not be accommodated within the R18+ classification category and the game was Refused Classification.
Why Is It Still On Steam?
As for why it remains available on Steam, the nature of the platform itself may provide some answers. Since doing away with its Greenlight feature over two years ago, countless independent games have flooded the platform. The glut of small, often NSFW games, make it a Herculean task for rating boards to police every single new release. In other words, Song of Memories seems to have slipped through the net.
With the Australian Classification Board’s renewed focus on Song of Memories, don’t expect it to be on Steam for much longer.
