ESRB Cracks Down on Hidden Content
- September 13, 2005 14:03 PM PST
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The ESRB plans to re-review games for hidden content.
According to a leaked email obtained by Gamasutra.com, The Entertainment Software Rating Board is planning to re-review all US video game titles released in the last year to pinpoint any hidden in-game content. The ESRB has taken a considerable amount of flack for its relatively loose rating procedure, and the board hopes to compensate with a new review policy.The ESRB's re-review procedure would force publishers to disclose all hidden game content regardless of whether or not it is intended for in-game use. If questionable content cannot be removed from a game disc, the ERSB would then factor the aforementioned content into account for the game's final rating.
The email also makes known that any publisher that refuses to resubmit a game from its 2004-2005 catalogue could face "punitive damages and corrective action" if unauthorized code is unlocked.
The ESRB's new procedure arises in the aftermath of the San Andreas "hot coffee" scandal where hidden sexual content was made available to players of the PC version of the game via a downloadable patch. The ERSB quickly changed the game's rating to Adults Only (AO) and was removed by retailers nationwide.
