When the Mad Max trailer debuted at Sony’s E3 media conference last week, many Australians felt a flicker of national pride. For those unfamiliar with the film franchise, it is inherently, undeniably Aussie, set in a Down Under dystopia where the dusty outback serves as the playground for vehicular warfare between Australian cars. A young Mel Gibson was the Australian star. George Miller was the Australian director. The first Max helped usher in the Australian New Wave.

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It was a surprise then, at Warner Bros.’ Behind Closed Doors demo at E3, to hear Max speak not with an Aussie twang but a gravelly American growl, a cookie-cutter ‘tough-video-game-angry-man’ accent. Surely developer Avalanche Studios isn’t seriously stripping the franchise of its Australian roots? Surely we’re not yet at a point where all game protagonists need to be white-washed into a collective pool of generic American anti-heroism?“We treated this as a completely new property,” said Avalanche Founder and Chief Creative Officer Christofer Sundberg, when I enquired after the studio’s decision. “And that was really the only way for us to take on a licensed game. It’s the first licensed game we’ve ever taken on. And we wanted to treat it like an original IP. The setting – where it is in the world – has really nothing to do with the Mad Max video game. It’s really a game to do with the relationships between different people in this world."Considering the Mad Max video game still looks like its grounded in the Outback, and considering Ford Falcons still feature, it still seems an odd call despite Sundberg’s reasoning. Did he foresee a backlash from fans of the movie franchise?“No, I didn’t really,” Sundberg laughs. “But, I don’t know...it’s a game that can hopefully transcend that. It’s Mad Max: The Game. It’s a different take, and I hope that’s what will make it successful.”Would anything convince the Mad Max team to change the accent?“I don’t know.” Sundberg pauses. “We’ll see.”For more on the Mad Max video game, check out our E3 impressions. Lucy O'Brien is Assistant Editor at IGN AU. Follow her ramblings on IGN atoron Twitter. While you're at it, why not follow the whole