Valve's upcoming sequel to the very popular Left 4 Dead zombie shooter has faced a lot of resistance since its announcement. From the get-go, fans of the original were upset over the perception that Valve would be abandoning their existing playerbase just to chase cash. Valve has worked hard to try and dispel that notion, by promising additional Left 4 Dead DLC down the road.

That isn't the only hardship they've faced, however, and yesterday the gaming community was shocked to learn that the Australian Classification Board blacklisted the upcoming game. Needless to say, Valve is upset about that decision. With a November 17 release date quickly approaching, there isn't a lot of time for them to begin hacking up a game that's probably receiving its final touches. They have officially responded to the blacklisting, saying with terse words that they are very disappointed about the move.


Without giving too much detail, the principle reason behind the ban was excessive violence. Anyone who has played Left 4 Dead (or any shooter for that matter) would likely scoff at that, as the gore aspect is a central focus. Does the Australian government expect Valve to begin retro-editing a title so close to release? Will Valve cave, or simply try to get the game re-classified?