Bethesda Responds to Oblivion ESRB Ratings Change
The announcement of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) of the ratings change of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from “T” for Teen to “M” for Mature was aptly responded by Bethesda Softworks, Oblivion’s creator. The ESRB has concluded that the game deserves a rating of Mature because: 1) partial nudity in the PC version of the game can be created by modders; and 2) the game contains excessive blood and gore that go beyond a Teen rating.
According to the official reply of Bethesda, they will immediately implement the ratings change by ESRB and will not contest the decision. The people behind Bethesda said that they “will work with its co-publisher to place new “M” rating stickers on Oblivion packaging now at retail and in warehouses, and will reflect the change in rating on newly manufactured product. No product recall is being directed.”
According to the same Bethesda reply, they have submitted adequate data with regards to Oblivion and that nothing was hidden from ESRB. With regards to the nudity issue, the publisher answered by saying that “there is no nudity in Oblivion without a third party modification. In the PC version of the game only – this doesnÂ’t apply to the Xbox 360 version – some modders have used a third party tool to hack into and modify an art archive file to make it possible to create a mesh for a partially nude (topless) female that they add into the game.” And as for the violence claim, they claim that they gave accurate answers and descriptions about the type and frequency of violence that appears in the game, even submitting a 60-page document listing the explicit language, acts, and scenes in the game.
Amidst all these, Bethesda stresses that they are very proud of Oblivion, and they are hoping that the ratings change will not affect the popularity of the game. Here’s assuring the folks at Bethesda that it won’t, heck, you even got free advertisements right?
The announcement of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) of the ratings change of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from “T” for Teen to “M” for Mature was aptly responded by Bethesda Softworks, Oblivion’s creator. The ESRB has concluded that the game deserves a rating of Mature because: 1) partial nudity in the PC version of the game can be created by modders; and 2) the game contains excessive blood and gore that go beyond a Teen rating.
According to the official reply of Bethesda, they will immediately implement the ratings change by ESRB and will not contest the decision. The people behind Bethesda said that they “will work with its co-publisher to place new “M” rating stickers on Oblivion packaging now at retail and in warehouses, and will reflect the change in rating on newly manufactured product. No product recall is being directed.”
According to the same Bethesda reply, they have submitted adequate data with regards to Oblivion and that nothing was hidden from ESRB. With regards to the nudity issue, the publisher answered by saying that “there is no nudity in Oblivion without a third party modification. In the PC version of the game only – this doesnÂ’t apply to the Xbox 360 version – some modders have used a third party tool to hack into and modify an art archive file to make it possible to create a mesh for a partially nude (topless) female that they add into the game.” And as for the violence claim, they claim that they gave accurate answers and descriptions about the type and frequency of violence that appears in the game, even submitting a 60-page document listing the explicit language, acts, and scenes in the game.
Amidst all these, Bethesda stresses that they are very proud of Oblivion, and they are hoping that the ratings change will not affect the popularity of the game. Here’s assuring the folks at Bethesda that it won’t, heck, you even got free advertisements right?