I was born on January 1, honest!
With recent changes at the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the amount of time we spend entering in our date of birth for Mature-rated game trailers (and then reentering it, because it never seems to keep) may diminish. Giant Bomb has gotten its hands on a document that covers new rules for publishers that are said to be effective immediately.
Not unlike trailers for R-rated films, “A trailer, demo, or video (of any length) for a Mature-rated game that has been deemed suitable for a general audience through the ESRB pre-clearance process will not require an age-gate. Please note that pre-clearance of Mature-rated game trailers posted without an age-gate is mandatory and must be submitted to [the ESRB].”
So while gore- and sex-filled trailers aren’t likely to get such approval for a wider audience, this still feels like a step forward. The organization will also now approve the cross-promotion of M-rated titles in games rated below Mature on a case-by-case basis, and has loosened the requirement for demos to display the ESRB rating for four seconds before the game itself is accessible.
ESRB Changes Rules for Marketing Mature-Rated Video Games [Giant Bomb] [Image]
