Take-Two Criticizes AO Ratings
During a conference call today, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said that the firm is “evaluating its options” regarding the release of the “adults only” rated Manhunt 2.
“We’re determined to bring Manhunt 2 to the consumers for which it was intended, and to do so in a responsible fashion,” he stated.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board recently gave the game an “AO” rating because of intense violence. Many large retailers don’t carry games with an AO rating, and console manufacturers don’t allow such rated games on their machines.
“We don’t see ourselves in the AO business,” Zelnick explained. “But if we find ourselves in the AO business, it would be because we have a title that we consider art and entertainment, that we consider is appropriately rated at AO, that we’d like to bring to market, and that I and Ben [Feder, CEO] are prepared to stand behind.
“In that instance, one has to ask oneself what’s the purpose of a rating if it in fact means that a title cannot be released? But I don’t think that that issue falls at the door of retailers. Retailers are acting responsibly, frankly, and I think a retailer has a right to say, ‘This is what I’m prepared to put on my shelves.’ It’s not correct to be critical of the retailers at all.
“Because this is a voluntary ratings system in the US, we have to be critical of ourselves if we’ve allowed a system to develop that prevents us from bringing a title to market that we want to bring to market. That’s something that we have to address.”
Zelnick said that the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV “fits squarely in the M (mature) category,” so Take-Two doesn’t expect to run into similar ratings issues.
Kris Graft
July 9, 2007
Source:
Next-Gen