ESRB crack-down on games publishers
ESRB: 'Tell me your secrets'
In the wake of the embarrassing Grand Theft Auto re-rating scandal, prompted by the Hot Coffee mod, the ESRB (America's classification board for videogames) has circulated a letter to games publishers reiterating the need for companies to disclose hidden content on game discs. "Fully disclosing hidden content accessible as Easter eggs and via cheat codes has always been part of ESRB's explicitly stated requirements when submitting games to be rated. In the July 20 public announcement, which focused on the revocation of a specific game's rating assignment, we formally stated that any pertinent content shipped on the game disc that may be relevant to a rating must be disclosed to ESRB, even if it is not intended to ever be accessed during game play," read the email, going so far as to specifically mention the landmark San Andreas case.
"Coding around scenes, images, or similar elements that might be pertinent to a rating assignment does not render this content irrelevant from a ratings standpoint. If a publisher wishes to "edit out" pertinent content from a final product, it must remove the content from the disc altogether. If that is not feasible, the pertinent content must be disclosed to the ESRB during the rating process so it can be taken into account in the assignment of a rating," continued the board's stern warning.
Continuing the fall-out from Hot Coffee, the ESRB is requesting that publishers alert the board to any hidden content within games launched since September 1st 2004, before January 9th 2006, in order that new ratings can be enforced where necessary. "If you fail to notify us of previously undisclosed, non-playable, pertinent content by January 9, and such content becomes playable through a subsequent authorized or unauthorized release of code to unlock it, rendering the original rating assignment inaccurate, punitive in addition to corrective actions may result." Whether or not the ESRB can really enforce any punitive action remains to be seen.
We're unsure if this fresh assertion from the board will have any far-reaching consequences, but it certainly shows action at a time when age ratings and there enforcement are under examination stateside. We'll keep you posted.
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