Shadow Warrior 2 is not releasing for consoles in Australia

If you were hoping to pick up the ultra-violent Samurai-themed action game Shadow Warrior 2 in Australia, then your luck has run out – unless you own a PC capable of running it.

The sequel was scheduled to release on Sony's PlayStation Network and the Xbox Store last week, but it hasn't appeared in Australian versions of those stores.

The reason? Publisher Devolver Digital has not submitted the game for classification in Australia, according to their local PR representative.

It's not the first time the publisher has refrained from submitting one of its games to the Classification Board. Last year the publisher released the penis-themed local multiplayer game Genital Jousting, but declined to have it rated in Australia. Since it's a game about penises and penetration – albeit lighthearted and cartoonish in tone – the publisher probably didn't want to risk the submission fees.

We've reached out to Devolver, via their local representatives, and will update the story when we hear back.

The publisher's fraught relationship with the board can be traced back to 2015, when Hotline Miami 2 was refused classification. "Though we have no plans to officially challenge the ruling, we stand by our developers, their creative vision for the storyline, its characters and the game and look forward to delivering Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number to fans very soon," a publisher spokesperson said at the time.

Curiously, Shadow Warrior 2 is readily available on Steam for Australians, even while Genital Jousting is not.