World of Warcraft Illegal to Sell in Australia
Posted by 
Juggynaut on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 28 Comments Tags: World of Warcraft, australia, banned, blizzard, classification, law, wow
Juggynaut on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 28 Comments Tags: World of Warcraft, australia, banned, blizzard, classification, law, wow 
There are a number of Aussies who play World of Warcraft. I was talking to one on vent just last night. However, it seems that at this time, that number is not going to grow. Australian law dictates that no game can be traded or sold that is not classified by the Australian Classification Board as appropriate for a 15-year-old. WoW, along with many other MMORPGs, did not apply for classification in Australia due to its lack of a single player component, and thus fits into that category.As I was talking with (and playing WoW with) a player in Australia just a few hours ago, it doesn't look like accounts are being canceled or banned if they are from Down Under. With the law, though, the sale of new copies of World of Warcraft is likely going to stop in Australia for the time being. According to an article covering the controversy on IGN, penalties for selling unclassified games "range from $1100 to $11,000 for individuals and/or 12 months' imprisonment, and approximately double those figures for corporations."
Blizzard will probably apply for classification as soon as possible to avoid losing any sales in Australia, though I feel bad for anyone who can't get their fix of Warcraft due to pesky laws. Any Aussies able to chime in?
Reader Comments (28)
This seems like a stoopid hiccup to upset blizz. I hope/expect that they wil, very quickly, apply and gain whatever classification(s) are reqd to get WOW back on the shelves
UNLESS the over 40 cordreuy wearing, plaid shir,t purple sock wearing prudes find a hidden sex scene, or determine that portreying a member of the "Horde"is just to graphic for a 15 year ols.
But GTa is ok,
well who am i to complain.. .......
lol
WoW is downloadable online for free for the client, and anyone from aussie can pay credit to buy monthly and play it, There is no way they will be able to restrict it.
Whoever wrote this, i'm sorry but this is a huge lie. I am australian, living in queensland and I was asked just last weekend if I wanted to preorder Cataclysm. This is at EB games, so I would doubt them wanting to steal your money, because of the huge legal concequence.
Go WoW Australia!
(PS: I'm a level 80 DK noob hahah)