ESRB Offers One Last Chance to Publishers

The ESRB is conducting an audit of all games published since September 1 of 2004 to ensure its ratings were accurate, and is recommending publishers do the same. They intend to actively search for hidden content that would alter the rating of a game. They've said they're willing to get litigious with publishers who don't come clean about hidden content on game discs, warning they might face "punitive in addition to corrective actions." Since most publishers sign contracts with the ESRB proclaiming their forthrightness to all content on a disc, the regulatory organization is well within their rights to sue for breach of contract if the big guys don't play nice.