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Fans of post-apocalyptic ass-kicker Mad Max whooped for joy when it was formally announced that Just Cause developer Avalanche was working on an open world action game based on the iconic character. That whoop then turned into a strained cry of "Strewth!" as people realised that this most Australian of all anti-heroes was voiced by an American in the game's teaser trailer.

Mad Max was famously brought to life on-screen in 1979 by a young Mel Gibson, American by birth but raised in Australia and still sporting his Aussie accent at the time. All three movies in the original trilogy of films were directed by Aussie director George Miller, who is also helming a new version, subtitled Fury Road, starring noted non-Australian Tom Hardy.

Patriotic games site AusGamers asked the developer why the video game version of the character had lost his native accent and were told that the American voice was simply "more generic" and therefore easier to market. This didn't sit well with the Aussies, who promptly launched a petition demanding Max's outback origin be respected.

Well, it seems that there's nothing scarier than tens of thousands of angry Australians, as Avalanche has reversed its position and decided to cast an Australian for the voiceover. "Attn. fans who want Max to have an Aussie accent in MadMaxGame," tweeted studio head Christofer Sundberg. "It shall be so. We admire your loyalty. You have been heard."

Mad Max is in development for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One and will be out in 2014.