2006-05-04 - ESRB Madness Options

[stargelman]

Want to hear something really silly? Ok, here it comes. The ESRB has revoked it's Teen rating for Oblivion and changed it to Mature. Why? Because someone made a mod that used a mesh that was burried somewhere in Oblivion's game files (but never used). This particular mesh is that of a female upper body. Topless. That, and because the level of violence and gore supposedly exceeds what the ESRB had expected.

What does that mean for the average gamer? Well, if you're living in the US and you're younger than 17, and your parents actually care about the ESRB rating, you might find yourself having a difficult time getting this game now. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the only consequence. From Bethesda Softwork's official reaction:

There is no nude female character in a section of the game that can be “unlocked.” Bethesda can not control tampering with Oblivion by third parties. Bethesda is taking steps to ensure that modders can not continue to hack into Oblivion’s art archives to create partially nude figures.

Now perhaps it's just me, but that last sentence sounds as if it was a good reason to worry. What exactly does that mean, prevent "hacking" into Oblivion's art files? And how is this to happen retroactively, after the game has shipped? A clarification on this issue is required, and it should come soon and from someone in charge.

BethSoft's Press Release on ESRB rating change for Oblivion

[Foster]

My concern is that, if they do install some nasty retro-activeness into their patches, it also effects countries that haven't decided to lower the ratings. The UK for example has always had Oblivion at a 15 rating (we have 12, 15 and 18 age ratings) - so that's somewhere in the middle of where the US had it. By doing something all it's proving is that companies care more about what the US thinks than worldwide markets and licencing authorities - granted I can understand why given the size of market/location of the industry etc. - but seriously, you're going to have a situation where any retroactive steps are going to be known about, and people are going to make choices before installing the mods/ buying expansion packs. If that's the case, won't it affect their profits even more than just leaving it be?