360 Queenz theme too mature for Marketplace

by Dustin Burg on May 2nd 2007 10:00AM

It looks like Microsoft put their foot down and stopped the sexually charged 360 Queenz theme and gamer pictures from making it to the XBLM. Deacon, the guy who posted the exclusive 360 Queenz preview, updated the Unscripted 360 community saying that "Microsoft isn't going to release it for whatever reason. too provocative? please. if this is too provocative then i'm at a loss for words". So, it's looking like those painted 360 girls won't be coming to an XBLM near you, because Microsoft thinks the whole thing reeks of bad taste. But look on the bright side, you are now free to spend those 150 Microsoft points that you were saving up. What's your opinion on this? Do you think those 360 Queenz were a little too sexy for the Marketplace or did Microsoft overreact just a bit? Vent away fanboys ...

[Thanks, AoE]

Source

Tags: gamer pictures, GamerPictures, marketplace, theme, xblm, xbox live marketplace, XboxLiveMarketplace

Reader Comments (49)

So what, They looked ugly anyway! The new AXE theme has a girl in a bikini if thats all what you're after. You all also know you can post your own pic as a guide background right?

Totally overreacting.

It's ridiculous really. You can have demos and map packs for games where blood splatters all over the place (Gears for example) but when there's a little bit of nudity, or in this case a small hint of it, they overreact and won't release it.

I hope nobody gets offended by this but why is nudity such a taboo in the US? It seems you're OK with blood and violence but naked chicks are forbidden? I can't see the reason in this...

Would your current parental controls prevent this from downloading if you had them set? Isn't that whole point of the controls? Personally it was going to be the first theme that I was going to purchase. There are plenty of us 'adult' owners out there that don't want viva pinata or 99 nights themes. Isn't the Borat theme a little racy, he is wearing that crazy thong thing in it.

Weak.

Does no one understand what is going on here? The theme is called 360 QUEENZ. Queen is a term used to describe transsexuals. There is a reason why these "girls" are not very attractive. Microsoft's bias is not against girls showing skin, there bias is against she-males showing skin.

Wow I think the Hitman theme with the old man grabbing one of the girls breasts, or the gal on the first blade is a bit more over the top than that offering, yet there it is available on the marketplace.

If anyone can find the actual pictures used - or any pic of a scantily-clad female/male (delete as appropriate) for that matter, download them and stick them on a USB stick and copy them onto the 360 HDD. Set the pic as your wallpaper (System blade/Themes I think) and Bob's your uncle.

Please send the 150 MSP's saved to gamertag: BoffBoff
:o)

Can't understand why they've been rejected though. They're not even naked. And not a hard nipple in sight. :o(

A bit of camel toe would have done.

since when is the word Queen used to describe transexuals? where the hell are you from? a Queen is a friggin Queen last time i checked lol....must be in Thailand where the word is something different.

I probably would have downloaded this theme. Now that Microsoft has poo-pooed it those points will go somewhere else.

Honestly, I'm not suprised on the decision and that someone is at "a loss for words" seems slightly thick headed.

Look, the Live! Marketplace is Microsofts system. They have all descretionary oversight over what is available. This is great! Otherwise, who knows what kind of extra garbage we'd have to sift through to find the real gems.

Bottom line: This isn't a case of "our rights being violated". This isn't a freedom of information thing. This is Microsoft deciding on an image for their brand, and is the way it should be.

Not that I was going to pay for it but it's no more adult themed than say... chainsawing a man in half.
Gore, thumbs up. Sex, for shame!
*sniff* *sniff*
I smell hypocrisy. A big steaming pile.

The Queenz dashboard is no different than downloading those DOA clips from XBL where there boobs bounce around for 3 mins, and they call that Queenz dashboard bad taste. I think M$ needs to give us there definition of bad taste.

Actually it's a term for transvestites (dress like women or man) not transsexuals (have had "THE" operation). I think that calling them Queenz has more to do with it being rejected than anything because it does lead you to believe...

I liked the Battlestations: Midway themes a whole lot more. If you haven't checked them out, do so. They're awesome.

Microsoft overreacted. Adults can choose for themselves if they want lewd photos for their backgrounds, parents should take some responsibility for their own children if that's the concern - as someone above said, the XBOX has parental controls.
I don't see how this is a problem, unless there was a technical issue preventing them from being used. But if that was the case, they'd say that's the case.

Ridiculous. Let the people decide if they want to buy such things...

I wouldn't have bought it, because it was crap, but censoring it is asinine. Way to show that video games aren't just for children anymore. Jerkoffs. And WTF anyway? There are movies on live that have REAL nudity. WTF is the problem with this stupid shit? Maybe they just didn't like the system being featured in the shots? Who the hell knows with MS anymore. I've not understood anything they've done since they started charging $180 for a $80 hard drive for which the only purpose is to buy more content and thus give them more money... I guess at least they haven't killed any goats... yet...

yeah it's much better for scantily clad cartoon chicks like the Midway them i guess lol oh and hey kids...pay no attention to Swordfish on the Video Marketplace with Halle's boobs. better get that off the Marketplace now too.

chalk this up as yet ANOTHER stupid MS decision if that's the case. i'm not a 6 year old with dead beat parents. i shouldn't be treated like one regarding content.

and i've NEVER heard of the word Queenz being used like that. i guess i'm not in the "hood" to have known that.

While I think it's dumb that they decided not to put this on the marketplace, I think it's funny at the same time because it's a crappy theme with ugly girls.

Well they have skin flicks for rental, who care about shemales?

I have no problem that they said no to this. It's their platform and they can control it how they want it. They're working on appealing to families right now, and so this is a fair move. Also, its not censorship. The Xbox 360 community is not a free-for-all NPO. Otherwise, devs could put anything on the XBLA they wanted. M$ can put up or take down anything they feel like best suits their business interests, and it's completely within their right to do so.

What I find "hypocritical" is the movies they have for download. There's some stuff available that downright wreaks of SKANK! and they seem to be just fine with putting that on there. Seriously, if you're wanting to protect younger kids from stuff with "bad taste". . .you may decide to fall that up with the removal of, say, Poison Ivy 2. ;-D

not a big loss, they aret that hot

Well Microsoft knows for certain that if they release that theme some un-knowing mother will see that on her kid's 360 and think that Microsoft is peddling porn, so yeah I understand why not release it.

I think this is the reason that there "should" be a correlation between the parental controls and the MP. There should be ratings on the demos/themes/pictures, etc. as well as the stuff on the Video Marketplace. I think they should allow you to set the parental controls and allow more stuff to be available for us who are allowed to see it, and not see the stuff if you are underage (and their parents set the controls).

why? the 360 has parental controls ... they just need to use them. ultimately they should use it to bring full on porn to the video marketplace. sex (and violence) sells

all this talk about MS appealing to more family etc i guess they better block the release of Jericho, Grand Theft Auto IV, better get Saints Row off the shelves...better not release Halo 3 which is M rated as well.

i know it's their marketplace and they can do what they want but don't protect saying their doing this for "family"....gimme a break.

Konsole Kingz should bring out a theme dedicated to beheaded goats and other animals. See if that does make it.

so you can have 18 rated games but a bit of soft-soft-soft core modeling is band? your live account has age stored and the console has parental control so why punnish the masses because some bible bashing numpty is against something. you see worse in games, look at dead or alive extreme thats smutt

Stupid! Someone just post the pics so we can put them in manually.

Good God! 360fanboys love tranies!

I agree with MS, good move on their part.

Wow, Thanks for the responses. Hopefully MS will read some of this and actually understand their demographic, the average gamer is 32. And to Project Vendetta, they are real women, I shot the behind the scenes for the photo shoot. We are the "Konsole Kingz" they are "Queenz," get it!

Whutevah *snaps fingers thrice* Uh'll do wha Uh wunt.

I wish America would just stop being so afraid of sex and conversely enamored with violence.

What a shame, most of the 360 owners are adults and it really shows MS doesn't do REAL market research. They weren't naked, so I don't see the problem here!!

Well ... I can see why they'd reject it. But the arguments against refusing it outright are valid too.

Perhaps Microsoft should create a few ratings for other content. Right now, games are the only things that are rated. Trailers, themes, and gamerpics are not. Perhaps they should create three levels for this type of content: Everyone, Teen, and Mature.

Pretty much everything currently on the Marketplace would be "Everyone" type of stuff. Some would be "Teen". This particular theme would fit into "Teen" also. "Mature" content ... Well, we'd have to see what that could be used for!

Of course, in order for Microsoft to do this, they'd have to let their partners know about it first, and add parental control options for this stuff as well. "Everyone" level would have to be default, with adults raising the level for their accounts to be able to see the other ratings.

I didn't know (drag)Queenz was a "hood" term. Ignorant.

although i cannot believe that they can post movies of DOA beach volleyball on marketplace, but this gets canned, it is typical videogamer T-n-A. leave that on your smut infested windows boxes, where all your other porn is. i'm glad it got pulled.

Yes, this seems like overreacting to me. Look at the Borat pics with him naked with both of this legs in the air.. You want to talk about sick and poor taste. I guess if it's gay then it's okay?? Also, look at this new Axe garbage. I guess if you pay enough $$ in advertising they look the other way. If any "team" at MS needs a close looking at it's the jokers that run the Marketplace.. oh and the hardware design team.

I still think this theme was ugly and they would probably charge 150 points which is a total rip-off. So no harm done.

Another question I have is who is Konsole Kingz and these Team DZN people? It seems like they get to monoplize the "user created" content on the Marketplace. What happened to the "Velocity Girl" scenerio MS was talking about?

you can spot who the kids are on here because they are commenting on how ugly the girls are and missing the point entirely

I see. So if someone puts up pictures of somewhat scantily-clad women, Microsoft immediately rips it down. If a company rapes the hell out of people on microtransactions (GH2, horse armor, Lumines, etc), Microsoft "has no control over it."

more stupid coming from M$.
That queenz theme was possibly the most UNsexy thing I've ever seen.

I guess M$ forgot about the boob giggly goodness that is dead or alive 4 or extreme?
Both of those were much more sexually explicit than that ugly theme.

I'm glad. If you want soft porn, just watch tv and surf the net.

Their store, their call what they carry.

that is a dude dudes that is why it was baned its not like its some chick

You know what reeks of bad taste?

Overpriced marketplace content.

Know what reeks of hypocrisy?

The fact that I can download Poison Ivy 2 right fucking now.

Ridiculous, I hate the themes they got there in marketplace for two reasons. 1)they sucks cuz u can't preview them, 2)they cost money. I dunno about you gus, but ive never wasted money for 5 picture files in a package. I always make my own, its a lot better. I've had all kinds, from Chicago to a model in bikini. Its great, and free. And if you guys got HDTVs look on the web for HD backgrounds, they are out there.

Let me reiterate this for all of you that are late for the party. THOSE ARE NOT WOMEN, THEY ARE MEN. I don't know about you, but I don't want drag queens on my 360

actually guys, it the name of the theme that scared the closed minded 380 lb snickers eating asshole at the desk who gets paid 24 USD an hour reviewing xbox 360 themes. Microsoft will not take that chance even if its clearly obvious that the person with the xbox between the chicks legs is indeed a chick, they simply can't take that chance with the word "queenz" being in the title. It can be a blow to micrsoft and it can be a blow to the whole transsexual community as well. I am a firm believer if he renamed it to something a little less controversial that it would be just fine if he were to re-submit it.

Great theme btw. I like it.

You know it looked like a chick from this photo, and it looked awsome, but after see'ing a large scale picture of it, it is clearly a man. and microsoft did not need a reason to deny that picture. and the 380lb closed minded snickers eating asshole behind the desk is actually doing his job lol

You guys spend too much time playing video games and not actually being around "real" not virtual women. They are women, not drag queens. You guys watch way too much Maury.

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360 Queenz theme too mature for Marketplace

Reader Comments (49)

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