Hot Coffee Causes Review
ESRB To Review all US Publishers' Games
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Gamasutra claims that they got their hands on an official e-mail from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board which demands US publishers complete an audit to help the ESRB crack down on hidden game content. The e-mail detailed the explicit laws on which the ESRB rates its games, including material that may not be accessible through normal means.
The crackdown naturally stems from the Hot Coffee scandal that we covered earlier this summer, in which, using various cheat codes, players could unlock formerly hidden sex scenes in all versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The embarrassment led to a massive recall/relabeling of the game with a new "Cold Coffee" version to hit stores soon.
"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 gameplay. If a publisher wishes to "edit out" pertinent content from a final product, it must remove the content from the disc altogether," the statement explains. The ESRB has decided to review all games released since 2004 and has warned that developers check for hidden content now and disclose any findings by January 9th.
Better start reviewing those Sponge Bob games eh?
Source: Gamasutra Article
The crackdown naturally stems from the Hot Coffee scandal that we covered earlier this summer, in which, using various cheat codes, players could unlock formerly hidden sex scenes in all versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The embarrassment led to a massive recall/relabeling of the game with a new "Cold Coffee" version to hit stores soon.
"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 gameplay. If a publisher wishes to "edit out" pertinent content from a final product, it must remove the content from the disc altogether," the statement explains. The ESRB has decided to review all games released since 2004 and has warned that developers check for hidden content now and disclose any findings by January 9th.
Better start reviewing those Sponge Bob games eh?
Source: Gamasutra Article