Call of Duty: WW2 threat of sexual violence scene modified in Australia
But what about in the rest of the world?
Activision modified a scene in Call of Duty: WW2 that carried a threat of sexual violence - for the Australian version.
But the mega publisher has so far declined to say whether this change applies to other versions, including the one set to release in the UK.
As reported by Kotaku Australia, Activision resubmitted Sledgehammer's first-person shooter after it had initially received an R18+ classification with consumer advice on the inclusion of the "threat of sexual violence".
The Australian Classification Board said COD: WW2 contained "a reference to sexual violence that is justified by context".
There may be spoilers ahead.
The scene in question involves the player-controlled character, a female spy called Rosseau, who witnesses a woman dragged by a Nazi soldier into a closet. Rosseau opens the door. The soldier says: "Leave. This is none of your business."
You're then asked to decide whether to kill the soldier or leave. In the version of the game first sent for classification in Australia, if you leave, you close the door and the soldier is heard unzipping his fly as he moves towards the screaming woman.
The sexual assault was implied, the Australian Classification Board stressed. At no time was it depicted.
As you'd expect, the Australian Classification Board slapped COD: WW2 with a threat of sexual violence warning. Activision then resubmitted the game, and it came with modifications. In this version, the woman now wears trousers and a top, whereas before she wore a skirt and a top, and the unzip audio is removed.
The Australian Classification Board then pulled the threat of sexual violence warning, but stuck with the R18+ rating.
Australian gamers, then, get this modified version of Call of Duty: WW2. What's not clear at this moment is which version UK gamers get. PEGI, which rates video games published in Europe, has yet to release its verdict. (Activision declined to comment when contacted by Eurogamer).
In North America, Call of Duty: WW2 carries an M for Mature rating. The content descriptors listed by the ESRB are Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language. There's no mention of sexual violence, implied or otherwise. So perhaps US gamers get the modified version.