Warner Bros. to ask for Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition R18+ rating in Australia

Warner Bros. has confirmed that it will submit Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition--released in the US in February last year--to the Australian Classification Board for classification under the newly introduced R18+ rating.

The publisher's 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot was originally banned by the Classification Board for "explicit" violence, blood spray, and limb dismemberment during fatalities, which made it unable to be accommodated within the maximum MA15+ guidelines in place at the time the game was submitted for classification.

Warner Bros. later launched an appeal against the ban, claiming that the violence in the game is on par with other games already available for sale in Australia. The appeal was unsuccessful, and thus Mortal Kombat has remained banned in Australia to this day.

However, the recently introduced R18+ classification for video games now makes it possible for video games with high-impact violence to be sold in Australia.

"Warner Bros. Entertainment Australia will be submitting the Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition for classification under the new R18+ classification category," the publisher told GameSpot AU today.

The publisher declined to comment further on when the game will be submitted. The game is currently available in other territories on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Earlier this month, the Classification Board confirmed that the first title to receive the new R18+ rating in Australia will be Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for the Wii U. The game will be published by Nintendo, but currently has no release date in Australia.