Goldeneye was rated PG on July 19 this year. Goldeneye was also rated M on August 19 this year. What the heck is that all about?
The first classification describes the “Original” version of a “multi platform” game called Goldeneye 007. It was awarded a PG rating for “Mild violence.”
The second classification describes the “Modified” version of a “multi platform” game called Goldeneye 007. It was awarded an M rating for “Violence, sexual references and coarse language.”
Had Goldeneye been mistakenly rated PG? Had Activision resubmitted a more mature version of the game? We asked Activision to explain themselves.
The answer, it turns out, is simple. The first game is the DS version of Goldeneye. The second game is the Wii version of Goldeneye, pictured. Different games, different content… different classification required.
So why did they both say “multi platform”? Most multi-platform games receive the same rating because they contain the same content. Think of every 360, PS3 and PC multi-platform title. When a publisher submits a multi-platform game for classification, they can combine the SKUs as one submission. So that’s how it gets listed on the Board’s database. Sometimes, however, as you can see, particularly when it comes to multi-platform games across console and handheld, that content can differ sufficiently to warrant a new submission and a different classification.
[Thanks Vextroid for the tip in yesterday’s Censor Watch comments]
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