Independent developer Illfonic has revealed that its upcoming multiplayer horror title Halloween: The Game has been refused classification in Australia, meaning it cannot be sold there. The studio also announced it would withhold the game from New Zealand as a result, despite New Zealand being an entirely separate sovereign nation with its own distinct classification system, prompting confusion over the decision's logic.

Although the Australian Classification Board has yet to publish a formal ruling, IGN understands the issue stems from the game's depiction of incentivised illicit drug use, a specific rule that has tripped up other titles in Australia previously. Reportedly, players can smoke marijuana in-game to gain a reward, in this case location pings for villain Michael Myers, and it is this tying of drug use to an in-game incentive, rather than the mere presence of drugs, that breaches the guidelines. Illfonic's own public statement misattributed the ban simply to "the presence of a controlled substance," which a Board spokesperson's comments suggest is inaccurate. The game had previously secured an R18+ rating in Australia for its pre-order content via an automated digital-only rating tool, but a physical release would require full Classification Board review.