Oblivion goes M

The ESRB has changed the rating of "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" from "T" to "M" due to excessive violence and a discovery that female characters could appear topless through a third party modification.

"It was the second time that the ESRB had rerated a major game developed or published by Take-Two as a result of content accessed through a downloadable software modification -- or "mod" -- usually created by a third party.

The ESRB said it found an art file in the PC version of "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," made by Bethesda Softworks, the game's other co-publisher. A mod from a third party allows players to change settings in the art file to make female characters appear topless.

The ESRB also said Bethesda understated the detail and intensity of the blood and gore in its initial application."

"We don't expect there to be a financial impact," Take-Two spokesman Jim Ankner said of the ratings change.

Source: Reuters

Should developers really be punished for third party modifications? It doesn't seem very fair to me - for example, if you modify your car by adding a NOS system and high speeds cause you to crash, is the car manufacturer at fault?