ESRB Clarifies DLC Statements

ESRB president Patricia Vance has followed up on her word that downloadable content must not “go out of bounds” by introducing new elements that might change the game’s original rating. She clarifies the statement, saying that the ratings board is considering two different strategies for DLC.

The first sees the DLC affecting the rating of the original game if the user is required to download it to continue playing the game – for example, MMORPGs. The second is that of optional content, for which the ESRB hopes to give a new rating.

Companies are free to offer downloadable content to their games as long as the pertinent content is the same as the core product. If it isn’t, they have to submit it to the ESRB. If the downloadable content earns a more restrictive (higher) age rating, and it is of an optional nature, it must display the new rating prior to the user downloading it. The core product’s rating won’t change, unless the new downloadable content is part of a required patch, as is typically the case with MMOs that must be patched in order to play.

This can effectively allow developers to pull of certain tricks, such as a M-rated GTA 4 and an Adults Only expansion pack. While the policy is still in its developing stages, it is interesting to see that ESRB is allowing so much freedom to publishers.