Warner Bros. banked on Vita's screen to get Mortal Kombat to Oz

Mortal Kombat: Game of the Year Edition has been refused classification in Australia, despite Warner Bros.'s hopes for the portable fighter.

In a statement given to Player Attack, Warner Bros. explained why it thought the Vita version would make it past Australia's Classification Board:

"Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment submitted Mortal Kombat Vita for classification to the Australian Classification Board as we believed that the smaller screen of the PlayStation Vita greatly reduced the impact of violence," the publisher wrote.

"This view was not shared by the Australian Classification Board and as such has been Refused Classification in Australia."

Mortal Kombat: Game of the Year Edition is the Vita release of the popular PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 fighter, which was twice refused classification in Australia.

Australia's highest ratings category for video games is MA15+, and games with content considered too mature for this category are not classified, meaning they cannot be retailed within the country.

Classification reform to bring video games ratings in line with film and other media has been the subject of debate for many years, and a bill to do just that has been heartily recommended by a House of Representatives inquiry committee.

The Vita's region-free game cards mean Australians won't encounter many barriers to getting hold of the game should they choose to do so, although importing RC materials can have legal ramifications.