Batman: Arkham Knight has been branded "M for Mature" by the ESRB, developer Rocksteady Studios has confirmed.
This is a bit surprising, especially when considering the prior entries in the series all earned a "T" rating. Interestingly enough, Rocksteady founder Sefton Hill was taken off guard by the ESRB's decision as well, noting that is was never the team's intent to create an "M-rated" title. "From our point of view, we never wrote it or made it with a rating in mind," he explained. "We never did that in the previous two games… We just felt that this is the story that we really wanted to tell."
While it's unfortunate some younger gamers will inevitably miss out on the experience, Rocksteady has no intention of toning down the game to accommodate a wider audience. "I'm not blind to the fact that [the M rating] does mean some fans will miss out… I don't want to be oblivious to that fact," Hill added.. "It would have been wrong to water down the game and deliver a story we didn't believe in to keep the game 'mass market' or enable it for more people. We feel that's the wrong way to go about it. We said we love the story and we don't want to jeopardize that."
Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on June 2.
[IGN]
Related Reading:
