When Destiny was given a Teen rating by the ESRB, it caught many people off-guard, especially when you consider how it’s a shooter from the makers of Halo.
Giving their side of the rating, the ESRB fully rated Destiny today, with the only descriptors being “animated blood, violence,” and the full rating summary giving us just a brief overview of things we can do within the game:
This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of a warrior tasked with defending a city from hostile alien forces. Players explore ruins across the solar system, acquire various relics, and battle insect- and robot-like aliens. Characters use pistols, shotguns, rocket launchers, and special powers (e.g., telekinesis, blasts of energy) to kill enemies. Enemies can also be dispatched up close via hand-to-hand combat and knife stabs. Combat is highlighted by cries of pain and realistic gunfire. Some aliens emit splashes of white or black liquid when shot.
When previously asked about the ESRB’s rating of Destiny, Bungie said:
For Destiny, we didn’t aggressively pursue one rating over another, though. We constructed foundational pillars that have guided development from start to finish. We wanted our worlds to be a place people felt good about spending time in. We wanted our worlds to be worthy of heroes…For us that meant Destiny would never be reprehensible, but rather bright, hopeful, and adventurous. That’s a world that resonates with us, and we hope it resonates with gamers, too.
Destiny launches on September 9, with a beta planned to start on July 17.
[Source: ESRB]
