DayZ has been having a bit of trouble in Australia recently. When the survival game's Australian distributor applied for a rating from the classification board ahead of the physical release, it was rejected. The rejection, effectively a ban, extended to the digital version, which was removed from sale. 

Last week, Bohemia Interactive told me that the rejection was down to the depiction of drug use and that it was looking to find a way to keep the game available in Australia. For the time being, it looks like that solution is a global change. 

So that Australian players aren't excluded, DayZ will be changed across the board, Bohemia Interactive told Kotaku Australia. 

"At the moment, we are editing the global version of DayZ so it will fit into the Board’s requirements. The key objective is to keep the gameplay as authentic as it was, so players are not affected by this change."

The specifics of the changes haven't been detailed, and it's especially strange because DayZ doesn't depict recreational drug use. It does, however, contain morphine, which caused similar problems for Bethesda, prompting them to change its name to Med-X in Fallout. There are files for cannabis, too, though it doesn't appear in the live game.

If Fallout is anything to go by, simply changing the name should appease the board. It's all very arbitrary and unhelpful, of course, and if there was a real issue, a name change wouldn't solve anything, but at least it won't be too disruptive for players.  

Earlier in the week, DayZ was refused an age rating by the Australian Classification Board. Despite launching years ago and already having a 15+ rating, Australian distributor Five Star Games had to resubmit the game thanks to the impending launch of the physical edition. Unfortunately, the decision also extends to the digital version. 

While Bohemia Interactive told me that the digital version was not in jeopardy and was still available through storefronts like Steam, the situation has "escalated", the developer confirms.

"We are aware of the Classification Board's intention to pull DayZ from the online sales," says Bohemia Interactive. "The game was just removed from the PlayStation and Xbox stores. The reason behind the rejection to classify the game is the specifics of drug use in the game."

Where things get weird is that DayZ doesn't have drug use aside from things like morphine, specifically used here for pain relief. Here's the extent of the game's 'drugs'. They're not recreational. Unfortunately, cannabis can be found in the game files, and while it's hasn't yet to be implemented and there's no indication it will be, it seems to have riled up the board. 

Though cannabis has been decriminalised or is available for medical reasons in several parts of the world, it's still illegal in Australia. Hunting and killing people for their supplies is also illegal in Australia, though the board seems less concerned about that. 

Bohemia Interactive isn't cutting its losses, however.

"The Australian player base is a big and very important part of our community. At the moment we are looking for the best solution to keep the game on the Australian market and pass the classification according to all regulations. We will do everything in our power to keep the game playable and available for Australian gamers."   

Previously, developers have made minor changes to appease the puritanical board, so it may be that a quick fix is possible and it will be back on sale before too long.

Update: Bohemia Interactive has clarified that the classification, or absence of one, doesn't effect the digital version of DayZ, only the upcoming physical edition. It's still available on Steam in Australia. 

Original story: DayZ has been refused an age rating by the notoriously strict Australian Classification Board. It's not unusual for games to not receive a rating in Australia, often leading to developers making changes to fit the draconian rules, but DayZ has been available in Australia for years. It entered Early Access in 2013 and finally launched last year. 

The classification page (cheers, Reddit) shows the decision was made in June and was applied for by Five Star Games, an Australian distributor. The reason for it being refused classification, which essentially means it's banned, is that it depicts naughty things that might offend. 

It apparently depicts or expresses matters of "sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified."

DayZ was already rated, so it's not clear why it was refused classification when it's exactly the same game. We know DayZ is getting a physical edition this year, which is probably why distributor Five Star Games is involved. What doesn't make sense is why the rules would be different for digital and physical games. 

So far, it's yet to affect Steam, as DayZ continues to be sold in Australia, but this may halt the physical launch. I've reached out to both Bohemia Interactive and Five Star Games for more details. 

DayZ, the game about roaming a post-Soviet wasteland looking for can openers (among other things), is getting a battle royale mode in the form of Survivor GameZ. DayZ veterans will recognise the name: it's the name of a mod and tournament founded in 2012 by former DayZ Creative Director Brian Hicks and Jordan Tayer, back before the core game went standalone. Now, six years later, it's coming to the official standalone game.

The first closed alpha is "just around the corner", according to the official DayZ Twitter account, and sign-ups are available here. The original mod supported 32 player duos, and played a tad differently to modern battle royale games. But its undeniably influenced the genre as a whole, with PUBG creator Brendan Greene citing it as an influence.

But none of the people responsible for the original mod are involved in this new Bohemia-helmed iteration. Hicks, who left Bohemia last year, told us in an email that he'll be rooting for the dev team at Bohemia Interactive Bratislava, but hopes they'll not rush it out the door.

"The Survivor GameZ was a labor of love for the team involved in it," Hicks said. "Long before the battle royale craze took hold, the Survivor GameZ team managed to set records in the video game livestream industry and create genuine memorable moments. This was all done on a shoe string budget, and with the free time we all had outside of our jobs back then. Even though it took years to convince Bohemia Interactive's management that a team last man standing experience in a post-apocalyptic world was worth investing in, we were all elated when they chose to purchase the property from us. Early on there were a significant amount of lofty plans associated with the sale. A Bohemia Interactive Seattle office, Survivor GameZ as a stand alone title, and while we did push forward on many of them, none of them seemed to come to fruition. Despite that, Bohemia Interactive Bratislava has pushed forward with a DayZ DLC model - and I'm certain they have put together an exciting experience."

He continued: "That said, neither myself nor the rest of the original founding Survivor GameZ team have been engaged by management at Bohemia Interactive in regards to the design, or functionality of the Survivor GameZ. Due to this, I am uncertain as to the state or feel of the offering they have talked about today. I can only hope they have held true to the design, and heeded my words of caution when we made those early plans. That the Survivor GameZ can *not* make a reappearance until the game itself is reliable, smooth, and as bug free as possible."

Survivor GameZ was a community-driven enterprise created by enthusiasts, so its audience could forgive its shortcomings. "We got away with a lot with the original Survivor GameZ, primarily due to the fact that those competing in it understood that this was a part time gig for the team - and that we all had other responsibilities," Hicks said. "That does not apply to a professionally released game or DLC, and the market for battle royale style experiences is seasoned, with an intelligent and demanding audience."

Survivor GameZ will at least play quite differently to the likes of PUBG and Fortnite. As the alpha sign-up page explains, each match comprises three phases, with the first two of these confined to specific parts of the map. Available loot changes between these phases, as well as hotspots where the most powerful items spawn.

The third phase opens the map entirely but spawns an "endgame interaction object" which, naturally, will attract remaining players. "This object is always in the lumber yard area," Bohemia's description reads. The player's distance from this area will determine the damage they take–the closer they are, the safer they are. 

It'll be interesting to see whether Survivor GameZ can gain traction in a flooded scene.