Bungie's Destiny Gets a Teen Rating, Not Mature Like Halo Series

Every entry in Bungie's Halo series received an M-for-Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), but the same won't be true for the developer's next body of work, Destiny. Polygon reports today that Destiny will be rated T-for-Teen, featuring "animated blood" and "violence."

"For Destiny, we didn't aggressively pursue one rating over another," a Bungie representative said. "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," the company added. "That's a world that resonates with us, and we hope it resonates with gamers, too."

The Halo franchise's M-for-Mature rating has been perplexing to some, myself included, because the games don't feature much sexual content, drug use, or adult language. Bungie's final Halo game, 2010's Halo: Reach, received an M rating for "blood" and "violence."

Destiny launches September 9 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. A beta will be held next month, starting July 17 on PS3 and PS4, and coming later that month to Xbox 360 and Xbox One. For more on Destiny, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.