Colony sim RimWorld refused classification in Australia

Construction title pulled from Steam

The latest story from the wild ‘n’ wacky world of Australian Classification sees strategy management sim RimWorld pulled from Steam after it bagged a “Refused Classification” rating from the official board.

Unfortunately for Ludeon Studios, the notoriously stringent Australian Ratings Board has not only brought the hammer down on the application, but has also retroactively removed RimWorld from the Steam platform in Australia. “Refused Classification” is a status decreed for titles that contain “matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena.” Oddly, there have been titles in the past that received an “RC” rating on consoles, but still remained available for purchase on PC, so this incident is very much a raw deal for RimWorld fans.

“I’m sorry this news was so sudden and for anyone who is frustrated by this,” an understandably frustrated Ludeon Studios wrote in a blog post. “We are working to resolve this situation and make RimWorld available to everyone again as soon as possible, but we don’t yet know what that might require or how long it may take.”

RimWorld, (previously known as Eclipse Colony), is a sci-fi indie builder from indie outfit Ludeon Studios. Originally launched on PC/Steam back in 2018, the game sees players build and manage a city of colonists across an intergalactic frontier. RimWorld received praise from critics and players for its rich mechanics and interesting stellar setting. While RimWorld is yet to receive a console port, the fact that it was put forward to ratings boards afresh suggests that the developer/publisher is looking to transition the title onto new platforms.