Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact was refused an age rating in Australia by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts’ Classification Board on Nov. 18, banning the upcoming fighting game from releasing in the country in all but name.
According to the Classification Board’s website, Nen x Impact’s current “Refused Classification” status indicates something in the game falls “outside generally-accepted community standards” and surpasses even what can be included in the country’s most extreme R18+ and X18+ ratings. No reason was given for this refusal and we did not receive an immediate response to our request for comment.
Australia has long been known for banning games with content it deems extreme. But where it’s easy to understand a ratings board finding issues with adult-oriented releases like Saint’s Row 4 and Hotline Miami 2, the manga and anime series upon which Nen x Impact is based could seem like weird targets for similar exclusion in comparison. Hunter x Hunter can get pretty violent for a franchise ostensibly meant for kids, however, and let’s not forget clown villain Hisoka’s penchant for creepily lusting after young heroes like Gon and Killua. None of the Nen x Impact footage we’ve seen so far indicates any of that content made the transition, but it certainly exists in the source material.
The Parliament of Australia approved the creation of the R18+ category in 2012 and it was applied to Grand Theft Auto 5 a year later for “High Impact Drug Use” and strong themes, language, sex, violence, and nudity.
Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact was originally planned for a 2024 launch on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, but was officially pushed back this September to 2025 to allow the developers the extra time needed to implement a more solid infrastructure for online play known as rollback netcode.
Source：https://www.polygon.com/news/489089/hunter-x-hunter-nen-x-impact-refused-classification-australia-ban-rating
