Mortal Kombat (2011)
Artist: Netherrealm Studios
Year: 2011
Date of Action: April 2011
Location: Germany, Australia
Subject: Violence
Medium: Video Games
Confronting Bodies: Netherrealm Studios, Governments of Australia and Gemrnay
Description of Artwork: The reboot of the Mortal Kombat series released in 2011 returned to the series' roots of violence and gore. Though most of the combat in the game may not have been bloody enough to warrant a strong ratings classification, the game includes "fatalities", finishing moves after defeating your opponent that kills the character in gruesome fashion. These range from throwing your opponent into a pit of acid to ripping off the opponent's arms and beating them with them.
The Incident: The governments of Germany and Australia banned the game from their countries, with Australia's rating board refusing classification due to high levels of blood and gore. This meant the sale, advertising, and ownership of the game in these countries is illegal, with the owners subject to legal penalties and confiscation of the games.
Results of Incident: While the game is still outlawed in Germany, the implementation of the R18+ rating in Australia allowed the game to be publicly available beginning in 2012.
Source:
• http://www.gamesradar.com/mortal-kombat-2011-review/ ; http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/02/25/mortal-kombat-banned-in-australia ; http://n4g.com/news/717454/mortal-kombat-9-no-release-in-germany