PlayStation has removed Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number from the Australian PlayStation Store as of yesterday.
The Australian release of Hotline Miami 2, or lack thereof, was a hot-button topic back in 2015, with the violent top-down shooter being refused classification in the country due to implied sexual violence. Aussie fans of the excellent Dennaton Games-developed original, myself included, were left without a legal way to purchase and play the follow-up despite our ratings board including an R18+ classification that prohibited sales to minors.
Well, that was until the Hotline Miami Collection randomly appeared on the Switch online store in 2019. But don’t get too excited because the game was pulled from the storefront and is no longer for sale. But wait, there’s hope again because a version of the game was released on the PlayStation store, either as part of the Collection or a standalone purchase.
Huh, I guess I should have seen what came next. Yesterday, PlayStation sent an email to those who purchased the game (hello, yes, that’s me) stating that its inclusion on the PlayStation Store was an error, the game wasn’t classified in Australia, and it was being pulled from sale.
The statement reads:
“We have become aware that the product Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has not received a proper rating from the Australian Classification Board and have therefore taken steps to refund customers who have purchased the game.
We have issued a refund of the total purchase price for the product back to your original payment method. This may take 30-60 days to appear on your bank statement. If your original payment source is unavailable, we will refund the purchase amount to your PlayStation Network wallet.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Our own Mark Isaacson trawled through the Australian classification website and found no mention of the sequel being resubmitted for this latest release, so it does seem like an oversight that slipped through. If you owned the game, you will no longer be able to play it, and you can expect a refund in the next few days (mine came through this morning).
Did you get hit by this email yesterday? Let us knowing the comments or on our social media.
