Batman: Arkham Knight will be receiving a Mature rating, the first game in the series to go above Teen, and the ESRB has posted its summary explaining why.
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The franchise has of course always been a bit violent, but nothing that escalated into the need for an M rating. Rocksteady is the same studio that developed the first two titles, so what has changed? Below is the ESRB's rating summary (posted on Reddit), which includes some vague spoilers about certain actions that occur, though it lacks specifics or context.
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"This is an action-adventure game in which players primarily assume the role of Batman as he battles several villains spreading chaos across Gotham City. Players traverse a variety of locations around Gotham while battling thugs, examining crime scenes, and occasionally rescuing hostages. Players engage in melee-style combat using punches, kicks, and gadgets (e.g., batarangs, explosives). Enemies cry out in pain when struck, and some takedowns are highlighted by brief slow-motion effects and loud impact sounds.
"Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle's wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence. Cutscenes depict characters getting shot (on and off camera) while restrained or unarmed. Large bloodstains/pools of blood appear in crime scenes and in the aftermath of violent acts; one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table. During the course of the game, players can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. Neon signs in a red-light district read "live nude girls" and "XXX." The words "b*tch," "gobsh*te," and "a*s" appear in the dialogue."
The first paragraph sounds like standard Batman Arkham fare, but you can see where things take a turn in the second paragraph. While it's disappointing that the game will be restricted to some fans, you can understand the rating--those are generally more mature themes we haven't seen all of in the previous titles, even if there have been similar scenes. Batman Arkham Knight will only be launching on current generation hardware--PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC--on June 2.
