Valve is 'exploring the option' of bringing unedited Left 4 Dead 2 to Australia

Left 4 Dead 2 developer Valve is looking into the possibility of bringing an unedited version of Left 4 Dead 2 to Australia now that the country has an R18+ rating for games, according to a forum post by Valve staffer Chet Faliszek spotted by Delimiter.

Posting to a thread on the official Steam forums where users were asking about whether the game would be submitted for reclassification, Faliszek wrote:

No need to flood us with emails. We have been exploring the options here and what we can legally do. We will have more information on this when we understand the issues fully and how we are moving forward but don't worry any cost associated with it doesn't worry us, this is something we want to do.

Left 4 Dead 2 was originally released in 2009 but was refused classification in Australia due to its high impact violence. The country did not have an R18+ classification for video games at the time, so in order for the game to receive an MA15+ rating (the highest rating available before R18+ was introduced this year), it had to be heavily modified. One such modification was zombies fading from the ground moments after being killed. Many players were dissatisfied with the changes made to the game and felt that they were not receiving the full Left 4 Dead 2 experience.

With the introduction of the R18+ rating for video games this year, publishers of previously refused classification games now have the opportunity to resubmit them for consideration for an R18+ rating. Warner Bros. Entertainment Australia recently confirmed that it would be submitting Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition for classification after the 2011 Mortal Kombat game was banned from sale for falling outside the MA15+ rating.

We will update this story when more information is available.