The backlash from the RockStar Games announcement of an edited version of GTA IV for the Australian market has been quite severe. RockStar have made an announcement about the effect of the edits in this peculiar retail environment that lacks an R18+ classification. n an effort to cool heads, and maintain some level of confidence in the local product, RockStar Games have today released the following statement:

"The Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV was rated by the OFLC in December 2007 as MA15+. Unlike the US and Europe, Australia still lacks an R18+ rating for video games and as a result many games are edited for release in Australia, including most previous Grand Theft Auto releases.

While there are some minor differences between the Australian and US/EU versions, they are not significant and we do not believe they take away from the level of scope and detail that make GTA IV such an incredible experience. We would not release the game in Australia if we believed these differences compromised the quality of the game in any way."