Banned In The United States
We take a look at why the gaming industry has its limits, and what happens when a game goes too far.
Published: June 30, 2007
What if the developers and publishers allowed gamers to purchase an AO game directly from their website? This would allow potential buyers to get what they want without the need for a retail store. There are two major problems with this.
To begin with, the profit potential is absolutely destroyed. Think, for a second, of every company you can name that stocks video games. Now imagine every location they have in the country. Now think of their websites. Now, imagine selling a game that won't appear in any of those places. Aside from independent stores, or perhaps a few chains that wouldn't mind stocking the product in question, the sales would be limited to a direct publisher to consumer transaction.
This significant reduction of profits and units sold is enough to prevent AO games from being created. But what if a company, for some reason, didn't mind? Let's say they had plenty of money from other projects and they wanted to push AO games into the marketplace so that it was more of a common occurrence and less of a modern day taboo. This is extremely unlikely: companies exist to make money. For those wondering if Rockstar would be willing to go ahead with Manhunt 2's AO rating just because they like to push their games to the limit, the answer is "no". Even if Rockstar was willing to take the hit, the publishing company in charge of the game, Take Two, has been in financial troubles for a while. Upper management shakeups in recent months don't help the situation, either.
Even if an AO game was created, and all involved parties were fine with throwing away nearly all of their potential sales (not going to happen), such a game would still never make it onto a disc. Why not? The console manufacturers won't let it happen.
To begin with, the profit potential is absolutely destroyed. Think, for a second, of every company you can name that stocks video games. Now imagine every location they have in the country. Now think of their websites. Now, imagine selling a game that won't appear in any of those places. Aside from independent stores, or perhaps a few chains that wouldn't mind stocking the product in question, the sales would be limited to a direct publisher to consumer transaction.
This significant reduction of profits and units sold is enough to prevent AO games from being created. But what if a company, for some reason, didn't mind? Let's say they had plenty of money from other projects and they wanted to push AO games into the marketplace so that it was more of a common occurrence and less of a modern day taboo. This is extremely unlikely: companies exist to make money. For those wondering if Rockstar would be willing to go ahead with Manhunt 2's AO rating just because they like to push their games to the limit, the answer is "no". Even if Rockstar was willing to take the hit, the publishing company in charge of the game, Take Two, has been in financial troubles for a while. Upper management shakeups in recent months don't help the situation, either.
Even if an AO game was created, and all involved parties were fine with throwing away nearly all of their potential sales (not going to happen), such a game would still never make it onto a disc. Why not? The console manufacturers won't let it happen.
