Batman: Arkham Knight gets rated “M for Mature”

A surprising “M for Mature” label has been slapped on the cover of the latest Batman game. According to Rocksteady, the studio responsible for the game, Batman: Arkham Knight has received an “M” rating from the ESRB. This will be the first title produced by the English studio to receive an “M” rating, as the two previous episode of the Batman franchise had both been rated “T for Teen”. Sefton Hill, founder of Rocksteady and game director on Arkham Knight expresses his point of view on the rating, adding that it came as a surprise for both him and his team.

“We never wrote or made the title with a rating in mind,we never did that in the previous two games, we just felt that this is the story that we really wanted to tell.”, added Hill in an interview with IGN. By receiving an “M” rating, Hill knows some of the younger demographic might skip on this episode of the saga but announced that censoring or toning down the storytelling would have hurt the overall quality of the story and would have resulted in a less immersive gameplay for Batman: Arkham Knight. Hill also reassured the franchise’s fans by commenting on the violence and gore shown in the title.

“We’re not including gratuitous blood or swearing. We want to deliver a true end with no compromises, and it takes us to some dark places.” was Hill’s comment to the rating. As Batman: Arkham Knight is the end of the trilogy, players will be up against an alliance formed by every villain in Gotham, teaming up to destroy the Batman. Violence and more explicit scenes will be a natural development in the storytelling, as the story reaches its final acts. An “M” rating also has its perks, and will surely allow Rocksteady to deliver a more detailed and better written story, without having to omit any details and allowing for a more pleasant finale for Batman: Arkham Knight. The title, originally scheduled for 2014, will be released on June 2, 2015 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.