ESRB Ratings Board Explains Why 'Batman: Arkham Knight' Is Rated M For Mature

Scenes depicting torture and moments of violence and profanity are cited as reasons why the ESRB ratings board have found ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ to be rated M for Mature.

With the recent news of the open world action game being rated as M for Mature, many gamers and fans were lead to question what kind of content exactly would be appearing in it. However, the ESRB ratings board has finally revealed the specific reasons why.

As a warning, please note that what you are about to read can be considered a mild spoiler for ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’. Please proceed with caution.

It seems the major offender that is causing ‘Batman Arkham Knight’ to get its M rating comes from a couple scenes depicting torture. Specifically, it involves someone being tortured on “a bloody operating table” and even someone being tortured by the wheels of a vehicle. Other than that, the use of blood, swearing and the presence of a red-light district cause it to be a bit more edgy than past ‘Arkham’ games, which have been typically rated T for Teen.

The full text issued by the ESRB ratings board about the content of ‘Batman Arkham Knight’ reads below:

“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.”

Speaking on the M rating previously, Sefton Hill, founder of Rocksteady Studios and director of ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’, commented: “We never wrote it or made it 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.”