Capcom considering legal action against GTA3 age ban in Japan
Capcom retaliates to GTA3's age restriction in a Japanese region, citing that the movement can cause issues in freedom of expression in future games.
TOKYO--Last week, the local government of Kanagawa prefecture, a region located immediately south of Tokyo, announced that it will ban the sales of Grand Theft Auto III to minors as of June 7. Saitama, another region neighboring Tokyo, also announced that it is considering the age restriction on the gratuitously violent game as well.
The possibility that the ban may spread into neighboring regions has caught the eye of the game's Japanese publisher, Capcom. (Rockstar, which publishes the game in other regions, has seen similar threats.) With other games noted for violence and gore, such as the Resident Evil series or the upcoming Xbox 360 game Dead Rising, Capcom fears that such restrictions could affect future releases. In a public statement saying that the age ban was inappropriately implemented, the company has announced that it is considering taking legal action.
"Japan's Videogame industry is a world-class business, which foundations are supported by the freedom of expression and intellectual property protection laws. Like our country itself has been practicing, it is essential that we continue to make efforts to sustain these two factors that are essential for growth of the game industry," said Capcom in a public statement.
"It is especially important to handle freedom of expression with care. It is a powerful factor in society, but also something extremely delicate. Our company does not believe that videogames should be completely free of any regulations under the freedom of expressions, and we have censored our games when seen to be required within our judgment."
The statement goes on to explain that the gaming industry in Japan has a nonprofit organization known as the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), which rates every game sold to retailers and marks them with a label according to their suggested age range. In the case of violent games such as GTA3, they are marked with a sticker on the front that suggests the game is for "Ages over 18," and some games come with an additional sticker that warns that the content includes violent or grotesque scenes. In addition, CERO gives guidelines to retailers on how the games should be divided on the shelves so that games won't be picked up by inappropriate age groups.
Capcom's statement blasts Kanagawa prefecture for single-handedly coming to its decision without making any efforts to discuss the matter with those involved. Just as publishers discuss their releases with retailers and businesses related to the industry to make sure they are appropriate for the market, Capcom feels that like two-way meetings should exist between prefectures and the gaming industry.
The company's statement goes on to say that the prefecture's decision was not based on any clear precedents.
Capcom concludes its statement by saying that it will strengthen its self-regulation on future titles, but that it is considering taking legal action on the current issue surrounding GTA3's age ban.
Capcom is one of the major companies in the game industry when it comes to the protection of software publisher interests. President Kenzo Tsujimoto is also the chairman of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), an organization specializing in the promotion of game software. CESA is best known to the general public as the host of the annual Tokyo Game Show.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Dubious Honors Winners
Find out our Dubious Honors Winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 22, 2009 11:56 am PT
-
GameSpot's Best of 2009 - Special Achievement Winners
Find out our special achievement winners in the Best of 2009 Awards! Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 11:59 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Xbox Avatars to 'encourage exercise'?
Microsoft patent details technology to make 360's avatars have same physical appearance as their real-world counterparts--and thereby promote physical fitness. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 12:13 pm PT
- 709 Comments
-
'Ghost Recon Future Soldier' trademarked
Ubisoft USPTO filing reveals likely name of next installment in its tactical Tom Clancy shooter series, due out after Q1 2010. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 1:06 pm PT
- 131 Comments
-
Take-Two sells distribution arm, cuts Q1 forecast by $120 million
Publisher cuts annual outlook to $910 million after Jack of All Games subsidiary is scooped up by IT systems distributor Synnex. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 2:53 pm PT
- 26 Comments
-
Shippin' Out December 20-26: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Square Enix's Crystal Bearers for the Wii leads a light release slate including the retail launch of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Full Story
- Posted Dec 21, 2009 10:55 am PT
- 47 Comments
-
Final Fantasy XIII day-one sales hit 1 million in Japan
Square Enix's hotly anticipated JRPG busts platinum sales marker in 24 hours on PS3, franchise sales surpass 92 million. Full Story
- Posted Dec 18, 2009 10:53 am PT
- 729 Comments
Submit News
Related Game
- Rockstar Games
- DMA Design
- Modern Action Adventure
- Release: Oct 22, 2001 »
- ESRB: Mature
Recent News
-
Game releases hold steady in 2009
EEDAR analysis finds slightly more titles fighting over fewer customer dollars, increasingly scarce shelf space; 2010 to see fewer new retail games.
1 Comments
Sign in / Sign up