"We were surprised to hear of this news yesterday," the executive informed us. "Obviously, everyone at Valve is pretty bummed."

Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification refused to classify Left 4 Dead 2 due to its "realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence" and gore, effectively banning the zombie shooter sequel as unrated games cannot be sold down under by law.

"It would be a shame if folks in Australia, or anywhere else, are unable to purchase Left 4 Dead 2 because of a ratings issue," Lombardi lamented.

Left 4 Dead 2 hits PC and Xbox 360 elsewhere in the world on November 17, packing a new cast, five campaigns, new enemies, and ratings board-enraging melee weapons.