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Bethesda Pulls Fallout 3 Promotional Materials "In Connection with ESRB Guidelines"
Posted 10/27/08 at 11:09:41 PM | by Nathan Grayson
We can't help but feel for Fallout 3. When it's not having drugs pilfered right from under its nose, it's getting booted out of India. But, as the most oppressed and censored game since Barbie Murder Adventures (later toned down to the more family friendly Manhunt 2), it'd be anticlimactic if Fallout 3's launch week trotted in unhampered. Good thing, then, that Bethesda seems to have made one vocal Washington D.C. resident a little hot under the collar with a series of controversial promotional materials.
However, today's Fallout 3 ad removal is a tad perplexing, as it simply asks websites to cast all official Fallout 3 trailers into their Recycle Bins -- with no explicitly stated relation to the D.C. fiasco. Says the email from Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines:
In connection with ESRB's advertising guidelines, you are instructed to remove immediately any of our Fallout 3 trailers from your website, pending further notice.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Pete
Our guess? Precautionary action -- brushing Fallout 3's "threatening" imagery under the rug to avoid more controversy. Great job on defending Bethesda's interests, though, (ESRB parent organization) ESA! So, who will the ESA tangle with next in its daring and valiant mission to "protect [game companies'] legal rights and legislative interests"? A quardiplegic kitten that licks people when its angry? An ally?
Comments Print Email i believe some islamic
Submitted by xs0u1x on Tue, 2008-10-28 12:48
i believe some islamic extremists had that picture of the nuked white house on their website awhile back.
Submitted by Velcrow on Tue, 2008-10-28 08:45
"In connection with ESRB's advertising guidelines" - Huh? Advertising guidelines? Apparently the ESRB can overrule the constitution and Free Speech? Trailers can not be completely blocked, only restricted by age based on content. What's the real reason Bethesda?
"Our guess? Precautionary action -- brushing Fallout 3's "threatening" imagery under the rug to avoid more controversy." - I say bring on the controversy. Free speech covers the ads/trailers. The publishers/developers need to take on the ESRB and critics or we'll be in this circus forever.
The ERSB isn't a
Submitted by Nuxes on Tue, 2008-10-28 13:06
The ERSB isn't a government
organization, it's a buisness coalition that Bethesda is part of.
The First Amendment doesn't cover buisness relationships.
Submitted by Velcrow on Tue, 2008-10-28 22:06
I'm not sure 'business coalition' is the proper term either. All reviews are voluntary, so each game is treated seperately and a binding agreement is made for that game. BTW, here's the list of advertising 'principles' that the ESRB want (or force) companies to follow:
- An advertisement should accurately reflect the nature and content of the product it represents and the rating issued (i.e., an advertisement should not mislead the consumer as to the product’s true character).
- An advertisement should not glamorize or exploit the ESRB rating of a product.
- All advertisements should be created with a sense of responsibility toward the public.
- No advertisement should contain any content that is likely to cause serious or widespread offense to the average consumer.
- Companies must not specifically target advertising for entertainment software products rated “Teen,” “Mature” or “Adults Only” to consumers for whom the product is not rated as appropriate.
All of these are open to interpretation and completely subjective. And considering how stringent the ESRB seem, the first person to bring a complaint that follows #3 or #4 will probably bring down all hell on the publisher. How can the industry accept this garbage?
I'm still a little confused as to how the ESRB can bring fines toward a company? Seems like breaking an agreement between companies is a legal matter (lawsuit). They just force the publisher to pay up or lose their rating? Non-profit my ass. And I would have to disagree that the First Amendment does not protect the advertisement. Basically it seems like the ESRB is just threatening to revoke the rating to get their way. Constitutionally, Bethesda can do as they wish.
Submitted by praetor_alpha on Tue, 2008-10-28 06:46
Does it really matter much now that Fallout 3 is released? It's already "old" by internet standards.
I'll be playing it soon when my preorder gets here, then I'll need to wait for some time to actually sit down and play the thing.
Submitted by Spider-Mom on Tue, 2008-10-28 01:37
This game is already under apriciated. Why the hell did they pull trailers from the web when this was started because of posters in DC? I sure hope the game ends up getting more publicitiy because of this and not less.
SCREW YOU Joseph Anzalone.
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