Nearly two decades have passed since TimeSplitters: Future Perfect concluded the TimeSplitters trilogy. However, fans have recently noticed that the game was rated M by the Entertainment Software Rating Board in 2005 and is currently rated T (for Teen) on the Xbox Game Store and PlayStation Store. Now, the ESRB has clarified why the game’s content remained the same but its rating changed.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect’s rating changes were first noticed by a fan on Reddit and later confirmed by other players. Fans of the site also pointed out that the ESRB still lists Future Perfect as an M-rated game on its official website. According to the ESRB, the game received the new rating because the organization did not rate the versions currently available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Rating platform.
“Our website lists the original physical/retail versions of the game on GameCube, PS2, and the original 2005 Xbox,” an ESRB spokesperson said. “The game was recently rerated through IARC as part of a new release for modern consoles; The Xbox .com ratings have been updated to match these new ratings. It is a digital version of the original Xbox version that runs on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. The ESRB.org website is limited to the retail version and reflects the original version from approximately 20 years ago. Retail versions are assigned ratings.
Presumably, this means that the IARC’s standards for gore, gore, and violence are inconsistent with the ESRB’s, which is why it’s no longer an M-rated game for modern consoles. Maybe the ESRB should sing another song to clarify this.
