PS4 on 25 June 2007
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=14454
New notices sent to Gamasutra from D3 Publisher and Take-Two are implying the ESRB is seeking new oversight to officially rate publisher-produced game media and trailers in a similar manner to the film industry.
The first notice came from D3 Publisher, whose forthcoming action title Dark Sector has not yet been rated by the ESRB. "We recently received a ruling from the ESRB," the statement reads, "stating that the two officially released Dark Sector gameplay montages have been deemed to contain excessive or offensive content; and to this end are not to be available for download or viewing, regardless of being placed behind an age gate."
"In order to comply with this ruling," says D3, "the ESRB has requested that the two Dark Sector gameplay montages be pulled immediately upon receipt of this notice and no longer made available for view by consumers." The notice is quick to point out that "your ability to capture direct feed footage for distribution on your site" is not covered by the policy.
Shortly thereafter, a similar notice from the 2K Games arm of publisher Take-Two arrived, noting that "the ESRB requires that all trailers for Mature ("M") and Adults Only ("AO") rated games be appropriately age-gated" -- specifically warning regarding footage of the company's The Darkness title due for release this week.
"Game publishers that do not comply with the age gate requirement are subject to enforcement actions by the ESRB," the statement warns, though it makes no mention of precisely what penalties exist for non-compliant sites.
In a follow-up to the initial emailed statement, a Take-Two representative told Gamasutra that its new trailer for The Darkness has been rated separately to the game by the ESRB.
This implies that official game trailers are now being rated by the organization, and that the rating for the trailer could differ from the overall game's rating. The ESRB has not yet responded to Gamasutra for further comment and official statement on the matter.
New notices sent to Gamasutra from D3 Publisher and Take-Two are implying the ESRB is seeking new oversight to officially rate publisher-produced game media and trailers in a similar manner to the film industry.
The first notice came from D3 Publisher, whose forthcoming action title Dark Sector has not yet been rated by the ESRB. "We recently received a ruling from the ESRB," the statement reads, "stating that the two officially released Dark Sector gameplay montages have been deemed to contain excessive or offensive content; and to this end are not to be available for download or viewing, regardless of being placed behind an age gate."
"In order to comply with this ruling," says D3, "the ESRB has requested that the two Dark Sector gameplay montages be pulled immediately upon receipt of this notice and no longer made available for view by consumers." The notice is quick to point out that "your ability to capture direct feed footage for distribution on your site" is not covered by the policy.
Shortly thereafter, a similar notice from the 2K Games arm of publisher Take-Two arrived, noting that "the ESRB requires that all trailers for Mature ("M") and Adults Only ("AO") rated games be appropriately age-gated" -- specifically warning regarding footage of the company's The Darkness title due for release this week.
"Game publishers that do not comply with the age gate requirement are subject to enforcement actions by the ESRB," the statement warns, though it makes no mention of precisely what penalties exist for non-compliant sites.
In a follow-up to the initial emailed statement, a Take-Two representative told Gamasutra that its new trailer for The Darkness has been rated separately to the game by the ESRB.
This implies that official game trailers are now being rated by the organization, and that the rating for the trailer could differ from the overall game's rating. The ESRB has not yet responded to Gamasutra for further comment and official statement on the matter.
