Starfield Is Rated M for Mature (17+) by the ESRB
Nearly two months after the Australian board shared the rating assigned to Starfield, the new Twitter banner of the game's official account reveals it has also been rated in the United States by the ESRB.
A quick search on the Entertainment Software Rating Board's website shows no entry for Starfield yet. Still, Bethesda and Microsoft must have received it directly from the ESRB before it would actually show up over there. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to publicize a non-final rating without clearly labeling it as pending.
The ESRB rated Starfield M for Mature, with a 17+ recommendation. It's the same rating the organization assigned to every product released by Bethesda Game Studios since 2003's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, which was rated T for Teen. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 all received an M for Mature rating.
Predictably, it's also lower than the Restricted - 18+ rating assigned to the game by the harsher Australian organization. While they don't provide a detailed description of the game's content (unlike the ESRB), they have a chart to describe how they reached that consensus.
According to that chart, there is no sex in Starfield, and the impact of any nudity scenes was deemed very mild'. On the other hand, the language and themes used in the game were considered to be of moderate impact, the violence featured in the game was rated as having a strong impact, and the drug use as having a high impact. It was the latter that earned the game its final rating.
The news of the ESRB's rating is yet another small step toward the release of the much-anticipated game. It's been a long road, as Bethesda Game Studios decided to announce Starfield alongside The Elder Scrolls VI at E3 2018 to reassure fans it wouldn't dedicate itself to multiplayer games despite Fallout 76.
The game is poised to play a pivotal role for both Bethesda and Microsoft. It needs to validate Microsoft's purchase of parent company ZeniMax for $7.5 billion; it has to redeem BGS after the underwhelming launch of Fallout 76; and it must provide the strong, narrative-focused first-party exclusive Microsoft has been yearning for as an answer to Sony's acclaimed single player masterpieces.
Starfield, the first new intellectual property developed by Bethesda Game Studios in over 25 years, is also the developer's first foray into a sci-fi setting. According to game director Todd Howard, it marks the biggest technological jump yet for the Creation Engine.
Much more about the game is expected to be shared in the Starfield Direct live stream, which is set to take place on June 11th right after the Xbox Games Showcase. Meanwhile, you can visit our roundup article for all known information about the game.
Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series S|X on September 6th.
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