ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

March 21, 2011

According to an IGN report, the North American boxart proposed by publisher Deep Silver has been censored by the ESRB. The rejection was due to a zombie / corpse hanging from a palm tree that represented the "I" in "Island." The approved box art simply uses a standing zombie as the "I" and removes the noose / hanging scene from the equation.

The in-game logo will remain unchanged and the boxart and in-game logo for Dead Island in Europe will remain unchanged, according to the IGN report. Dead Island is currently scheduled for release for an undetermined date in 2011.

Thanks to Andrew Eisen for the tip.

Source: IGN

Posted in

Comments

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by CyberSkull on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 22:54.

I prefer the hanging one, but I can see how such a strange fruit could be construed as racist and why the ESRB voted it down.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by josh111888 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 12:31.

The most likely explanation for a person to be hanging from a tree is suicide, which is common for any zombie story. Does anyone know if the ESRB has a rule against showing death, suicides, or anything not rated E on the front cover? I vaguely remember a problem with the Left 4 Dead 2 cover art where they originally had the non-extended fingers cut off instead of folded.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Andrew Eisen on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 13:05.

"Does anyone know if the ESRB has a rule against showing death, suicides, or anything not rated E on the front cover?"

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/principles_guidelines.jsp

Repeated blows or gun shots inflicted upon people/creatures, violent blows to the head, guns/weapons pointed at head, impaling, exploding body parts, guns/weapons pointed toward reader/audience, depictions of fatal injuries and/or suicide, strangulation/choking, inflicting wounds with swords/knives, kicks to the groin

Andrew Eisen

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by josh111888 on Wed, 03/23/2011 - 11:45.

Thank you.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by nightwng2000 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 08:14.

They've taken all the fun out of killing zombies anyway. It used to be that you only could kill one by shooting it in the head. Now you can take 'em down using any kind of kill shot.

All lynching does is keep 'em off the ground. Eventually the rope will rot away and the zombie is freed.

Oh, and I represent all the criminals, who were all innocent of course, who were hung for their crimes over the centuries. We find the symbolism of hang a "bad guy" offensive and insensitive and it must stop being glorified!

And beheadings too! Do you know how many of my fellow brothers had their heads chopped off by various execution devices over the centuries, nay, THOUSANDS of year?! You insensitive, evil, evil gamers!

Oh, and dismemberment too! Do you know how many of us "bad guys" were pulled apart by horses as punishment for crimes? Or how many rebels were dismembered and spread across kingdoms as a "message" to others to not stand up to the tyrannants... er, kings of the lands we opposed? Horrible, horrible gamers!

Oh, and all your flamethrowers and flaming arrows and torches used to burn those poor, defenseless pixels! Do you know how many of my poor, lost souls were burned at the stake?!

Oh the inhumanity! :: Whimpers and runs off, whacking Zippy in the head for good measure! ::

Nightwng2000

NW2K Software

http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000

Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Nightwng2000 NW2K Software http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Rodrigo Ybáñez ... on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 11:15.

:: Whimpers and runs off, whacking Zippy in the head for good measure! ::

Lol, then you all complain about how he is.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by DorthLous on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 16:08.

Yeah, but at this point, it can help him just as much as it can potentially harm him.

(Btw, I mostly enjoy his posts, so this post is still in on the joke, not serious, before anyone asks.)

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Thomas P. on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 05:52.

I like the second boxart better anyway.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Shahab on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 02:35.

Stupid. Oh no, they are lynching that zombie! Better call the NAADP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Dead People.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Andrew Eisen on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 22:26.

I propose a reversible cover!

Andrew Eisen

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Kincyr on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 21:57.

personally, I like the zombie one. while the hanging corpse could signify an element of despair, I can see how someone who has no info on the game could see it as a lynching. (as I was writing this, I immediately recalled an instance of a hanging early on in System Shock 2, but the context of suicide by despair was very clear)

岩「if Phyllis Schlafly wants to undo Women's Rights, she should lead by example and get back in the kitchen」

岩「…」

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by Father Time on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 23:15.

You can't tell the race of the person being hanged, and nothing in title alludes to race at all. OS I think that's a bit of a stretch.

----------------------------------------------------

Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

---------------------------------------------------- Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: ESRB Censors Dead Island Boxart

Submitted by DorthLous on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 07:41.

I love how you immediately jumped from lynching to race. You know lynching is the act of hanging someone to die and has been performed by plenty of communities toward plenty of others for various reasons, right?

Shout box

Cecil475: @PHX Corp - The dude's a moron who wouldn't know crap if it came up and kicked him.05/19/2013 - 6:36am

PHX Corp: http://kotaku.com/ea-sports-developer-calls-wii-u-crap-and-nintendo-wa-508481261 EA Sports Canada Moron calls Wii U 'Crap' and Nintendo 'Walking Dead'05/18/2013 - 11:42am

E. Zachary Knight: If the videos are of sufficient quality that people subscribe and watch regularly, then those let's players are providing a service that people want. That is the heart of capitalism. That is not something that should be shamed.05/17/2013 - 8:06am

E. Zachary Knight: I have no idea who either of those people are. However, I still don't see why making a business out of creating let's play videos is somehow evil or wrong.05/17/2013 - 8:04am

MaskedPixelante: It sure is if you're just doing it for the money. See Tobuscus and/or Pewdiepie for what happens when people get into it just for the money.05/17/2013 - 7:30am

E. Zachary Knight: Why is it wrong to make money doing LPs? Why should that be something that should be shamed?05/17/2013 - 6:20am

MaskedPixelante: https://twitter.com/PsychedelicSA/status/335183893214924801 Now here's an interesting, glass half full thought about the Nintendo LP thing. It outs the people who are just doing LPs to make money.05/17/2013 - 5:56am

E. Zachary Knight: I responded in writing to all this "let's play" stuff Nintendo Started. No need for my permission, I won't give it. It's not mine to give. http://divineknightgaming.com/?p=29205/16/2013 - 2:21pm

E. Zachary Knight: Lars Doucet of Levelup Labs has a Reddit going on game companies that allow monetization of Let's Play videos. http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1egayn/lets_build_a_list_of_game_studios_that_allow/05/16/2013 - 1:04pm

Sleaker: @Imautobot - yah I wouldn't use an emulator as a good first run test of how stable the console is, haha.05/16/2013 - 11:47am

E. Zachary Knight: The 50th person to jump off a bridge is just as dumb if not dumber than the 1st.05/16/2013 - 10:03am

MaskedPixelante: Yeah, let's all jump on Nintendo for doing this, even though they're hardly the first company to do this...05/16/2013 - 9:47am

E. Zachary Knight: Wow Nintendo, this is wrong. http://kotaku.com/nintendo-forcing-ads-on-some-youtube-lets-play-video-50709238305/16/2013 - 8:44am

Imautobot: @Sleaker, further gameplay has revealed that the controller button do stick under the faceplate. Also, The NES emulator (Emuya)keeps crashing on me, though I think a bad ROM is causing it.05/16/2013 - 7:10am

Papa Midnight: AE: I wonder if any other publishers will follow suit.05/15/2013 - 8:12pm

Andrew Eisen: EA is ditching Online Pass. http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/15/ea-kills-its-controversial-online-pass-program/05/15/2013 - 7:20pm

Avalongod: @Zach and quicnkold...I've read the bill and the intent of it is to fear-monger. It's not a balanced message. I don't recall the ESRB being mentioned at all. It's more "keeps your kids away from these movies/games or they'll become violent"05/15/2013 - 4:35pm

E. Zachary Knight: quiknkold, The big problem with that legislation is the amount of misinformation out there. Who is going to ensure that the information in the pamphlet is accurate?05/15/2013 - 3:25pm

quiknkold: REBeardogg : I'm on the fence about this. on one side, I want parents to be aware of the ESRB, and even Movie Ratings. On the other hand, I feel this will be used for nothing but Propaganda. The ESRB does a good job.05/15/2013 - 3:07pm

IanC: Frostbite is coming out on iOS devices. Yet the Wii U cant handle it? *coughbullshitcough*05/15/2013 - 2:31pm

All shouts

<< Return To Top

Forgot your password?
Username :
Password :