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Publishers face big fines for lying to PEGI

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 25th 2009 at 2:00PM }

The UK-based Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) is trying to show that the PEGI system -- which it supported in the great BBFC ousting of '09 -- is by no means weaker than the BBFC ratings that used to be oversee the region. Speaking with MCV, the group took the opportunity to warn publishers: "Abuse [the] new system and risk your future." Publishers may face fines of €500,000 ($696K) if they lie on the questionnaire, which allows PEGI and the Video Standards Council to determine an appropriate rating for their games.

ELSPA's statement and teeth bearing are to ease concerns that PEGI won't be strong enough for the UK when it's implemented this holiday. ELSPA is essentially using a "see, we told them to play nice" tactic to save face, just in case the rating system it supported has an incident.

Baking news: GTA IV meth recipe flawed

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jun 22nd 2009 at 5:15PM }

From the obscure annals of May 2008 comes the testimony of BBFC head David Cooke, who confirmed that the now irrelevant UK ratings board had investigated the authenticity of "instructional information about how to make the drug crystal meth" in Grand Theft Auto IV. The incident was brought to light today in a Times Online article examining PEGI's recent appointment as the sole UK video games classification authority and allegations that the organization might not be as thorough as the BBFC had been in its review process; for example: testing out GTA IV's so-called meth recipe.

We're not certain just how far the BBFC went in its drug trial, but "independent advice" was sought in order to deem that "crucial ingredients and techniques were missing" from the scrutinized game content. What does this mean for the rest of us? Well, one, if you're in the planning stages of a homebrewed meth lab, you should probably look beyond GTA IV's suggestions. And, two, if you've already got your lab up and running, you may want to contact your legal team and tell them that the "GTA made me do it" defense isn't going to work this time. That is, only if the coppers catch you before you blow yourself up.

[Via GamePolitics]

PEGI becomes UK standard for ratings, other organization gains power to ban games

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 16th 2009 at 3:40PM }

The UK government announced today that the PEGI system will become the sole classification standard for video games in the region. However, it's not that simple. The government also gave the power to ban games to the Video Standards Council, another independent system that has been around since 1989, who will apparently determine if games coming into the UK comply with PEGI ratings before giving it license to sell.

The whole situation sounds even more confusing than the BBFC vs. PEGI issues that we've been reporting on for years. Speaking of the BBFC, the organization will no longer be involved in the classification of games, which is sad -- the group did give us some uncomfortable laughs over the years.

We're still not exactly clear on how the UK's new rating system works, but according to Baroness Shepherd, president of the VSC, the group will exercise its "new power independently of the PEGI system, providing a 'fail-safe' for the UK - protecting children through PEGI and addressing UK-specific sensibilities by refusing classification of any game which falls foul of the Video Recordings Act. This decision is the right one for consumers in the UK."

We'll see.

Source -- PEGI becomes UK standard for game ratings
Source -- VSC given power to ban videogames
Source -- VSC given tough powers for non-compliance of PEGI system

UK retailers caught selling mature games to undercover teen

by JC Fletcher { Apr 20th 2009 at 1:40PM }

A sting operation set up by the UK's Trading Standards organization caught 12 retailers selling games with BBFC '18' ratings to a 14-year-old -- specifically, the 14-year-old who volunteered to go undercover for the group. In the US, such negligence from cashiers would merely be disappointing. In the UK, it's illegal.

Of the sixteen retail outlets visited last week by the young narc, only four declined to sell contraband games: Gamestation, GAME, PC World and WH Smith. Some of the other retailers even had automatic warnings on their registers, which the cashiers ignored as they broke the law.

"Given the previous good compliance record with attempted test purchasing of tobacco in Dundee," a Trading Standards rep said, "it is very disappointing that so many large retailers have ignored their own systems in regard to restricted video game sales. Clearly there are issues that need to be addressed, and we will be following up matters with the retailers involved."

Rumorang: BBFC rates 'Silent Hill'

by Jason Dobson { Mar 10th 2009 at 9:10AM }

We hope Konami may soon be ready to scare some truth out of earlier rumors of a Silent Hill remake for the Wii and PSP. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) recently posted a '15' rating for Silent Hill, with a listing that contains an interesting breakdown of scenes from the game with titles like "ANKH ROOM" and "CYBIL'S DEATH."

Last month's rumor laid dev duties at the feet of Silent Hill: Origins creator Climax, though Konami has yet to make anything official. We're trying to reach either Konami or Climax for comment ... but the lines are cut, and there's an unsettling noise coming from behind the door.

Of course, this could just as well be a PSN re-release. And yes, we'll take one of those too.

[Via Kotaku]

BBFC doesn't note racism in submitted Resident Evil 5 scene

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 2nd 2009 at 10:58AM }

The British Board of Film Classification does not see an "issue around racism" in a particular Resident Evil 5 scene that may be considered inflammatory. Kikizo asked the BBFC's communication head, Sue Clark, about a specific scene where a (*minor spoiler warning*) white, blond woman is dragged by a black man and "impregnated" with the virus, in a way that evokes racist imagery.

Clark explains that the version of the scene submitted to the BBFC didn't have a black man dragging the woman. She explains that if the scene submitted were not the same as the retail version, it would be "illegal under the terms of the VRA [Video Recordings Act ]." RE5 producer Jun Takeuchi told us in a recent interview that when players finally get their hands on the full game, he believes "they will see and understand what it is all about; that there is no racial element to it at all."

UK survey: 74% want independent ratings body

by Richard Mitchell { Feb 27th 2009 at 1:11PM }

A recent survey conducted by YouGov for the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) revealed that most UK citizens want an independent body to issue game ratings. GI.biz reports that a majority of those surveyed also said that they would prefer to see games use the same rating standard as movies. The BBFC hopes to use this survey as leverage in its bid to become the UK's primary game ratings body. Currently, the BBFC only rates games with a certain level of mature content, though that may change thanks to last year's Byron Review.

The BBFC competes with Europe's PEGI ratings, which already appear on UK game releases. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) argues that the PEGI system is superior to the BBFC. Said ELSPA director general Mike Rawlinson, "Gamers no longer just play with their mates but play online, and we need a system that reflects this situation and protects their interests," adding that the PEGI system is the "right solution for child safety." Rawlinson further states that ELSPA will be promoting the PEGI system with a "multi million pound campaign" designed to get the word out to UK parents. Finally, he says that ELSPA has conducted its own research with YouGov that supports its argument.

The irony of all this, of course, is that this fight is being waged to make ratings less confusing.

MadWorld passes Australia's OFLC with MA 15+ rating

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 19th 2009 at 11:14AM }

Australia's governmental ratings board, the OFLC, has classified the unabashedly violent MadWorld with an "MA 15+" rating. Sega informed IGN that the game was not "edited or adjusted" for the land down under. Last week, the title received an "18" rating in Britain, and having now passed both the BBFC and the OFLC, it's expected that the United States' ESRB will hand the title a "Mature" sticker.

It's certainly interesting that Australia let the game pass with an MA 15+, at least based on the footage and images we've seen. For better or worse, perhaps the region is loosening up its policies in lieu of implementing an R18+ rating for games.

[Via IGN]

BBFC grants MadWorld '18' rating, no cuts made

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 15th 2009 at 3:27PM }

Despite the Daily Mail's best attempts to whip up a fuss, the BBFC has granted MadWorld an "18" certificate in the UK. It is the eighth Wii game to receive the rating (see the full list after the jump), and was passed with -- yay! -- no cuts whatsoever. Sega is likely to face a bigger obstacle when it comes to getting the game rated elsewhere, and it seems to realize this. MadWorld won't even be released in Germany or Japan, while Australia's notoriously conservative OFLC may take some convincing.

Elsewhere in MadWorld, uh, world, IGN has posted one of the first hands-on previews, including a full breakdown of the controls. The Nunchuk will be used to make protagonist Jack move and jump (with Z), the C button centers the camera behind Jack, punching people in the face is done with A, while the chainsaw attacks are on the B trigger. Holding A lets you pick people up, which is where you can perform special moves by waggling.

Gallery: MadWorld

Continued →

MadWorld receives '18' rating from BBFC

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 15th 2009 at 9:09AM }

The British Board of Film Classification has passed Sega's MadWorld with an "18" rating. The Wii title received the classification for containing "very strong, stylized, bloody violence." Sega has been working with both the BBFC and the United States' ESRB to avoid the respective regions' "kiss of death." The publisher contributed builds at various times for feedback on what needed to be changed to dodge being "unclassified" in the Britain and receiving an "AO" rating in the States.

We're unaware if Sega has also been showing builds to Australia's conservative OFLC. If any region is going to "ban" MadWorld, it'll be the Aussies, due to the region's lack of an R18+ rating for games.

GTA: Chinatown Wars receives '18' rating from BBFC

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 12th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has passed the British Board of Film Classification with an "18" rating, which is equivalent to the ESRB's "Mature" rating. According to Edge, the DS title -- the first ever to receive an 18 rating by the BBFC -- passed with "no cuts made."

Apparently it was a very clear edict from Rockstar's Sam Houser to developers that the game receive an M rating and maintain the franchise's adult tone. The game has yet to receive ratings from the United States' ESRB or Australia's conservative OFLC.

[Via Edge]

Chinatown Wars receives '18' rating in UK

by Chris Greenhough { Jan 9th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been granted an "18" certificate in Britain by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, and no, we don't understand that, either).

Huge surprise, right? Well, no. We already know about the drug-dealing subgame, and any GTA game receiving a restrictive age rating is hardly news. But then Chinatown Wars is also the first DS title in the UK to receive such a classification, a landmark that is worth recording. Incidentally, no DS title has yet obtained an "Adults Only" rating from the ESRB (indeed, only six have been rated "M" -- C.O.R.E., theresia, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Dementium, Touch the Dead, and Resident Evil: Deadly Silence); could Chinatown Wars be the first?

Also of interest: the BBFC's listing for the game reveals that the title contains 168 minutes of in-game cut-scenes. Wow!

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

[Via MCV]

BBFC: Seriously, THQ is publishing 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 19th 2008 at 12:00PM }

Last week, Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification breathed new life into a rumor that 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, which many had believed to be a casualty in the Activision-Vivendi merger, had found a new publisher in THQ -- info made public when the OFLC stamped the game with an MA 15+ rating. A few days ago, the rumor seemed to become concrete -- the British Board of Film Classification has assigned Fiddy an "18" rating, also attributing the game to THQ.

While it now seems like incontrovertible fact that Blood on the Sand is still quite alive and well, THQ recently told British gaming news site MCV that they could not comment on "the rumour" -- either a testament to THQ's bizarre hype-building practices, or to the unfathomable excellence of the resurrected game.

Manhunt 2 gets UK release date

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 5th 2008 at 5:30PM }

Readers currently residing in the United Kingdom -- your wait is over. At long last, you'll be able to experience one of 2007's best selling, most critically acclaimed titles -- Rockstar's controversial thriller, Manhunt 2. After being turned down by the British Board of Film Classification for its "unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone," a reworked, SFEurope version of the game will be launched in the UK for the Wii, PS2 and PSP on October 31. We know, we can barely contain our excitement either.

Sure, it may lack a few of the more grisly elements included in the inappropriate North American version, but if your hands are shaking with anticipation as you read this report -- as we're sure they are -- we imagine you'll be able to overlook a few omitted acts of power drill-related violence.

Manhunt 2's extra-scary, extra-late UK date

by JC Fletcher { Oct 3rd 2008 at 8:05PM }

Rockstar has taken a long-form approach to scaring people with Manhunt 2. They've waited very quietly, very still, until everyone in the UK forgot that it was there, and then they JUMPED OUT AND ANNOUNCED A RELEASE DATE! "BOO! Manhunt 2 is coming out on October 31!"

This version of Manhunt 2 is different from the one the US got, having been "heavily reworked" (as IGN describes it) in a desperate bid for BBFC approval. They got the right to release the game in December, but by then Halloween had already passed, and what's the point of releasing a horror game on any other date?