ESRB Mature rating

Lore & Background

While debuting as a family-friendly series, starting with Conker's Pocket Tales, it has shifted focus to mature audiences with the development and release of Conker's Bad Fur Day; during development, the game was modified to incorporate graphic violence, strong language, offensive humor, and other mature content. These changes resulted in the title receiving a Mature rating from the ESRB, accompanied by a content advisory displayed on the packaging and the title screen when immediately powered on to caution unsuspecting viewers who might otherwise mistake it for a platformer intended for a younger audience.

In Their Own Story

In the quiet of a late-night development session at Rare's Twycross studio, a programmer stares at the ESRB questionnaire. The team has just finished the 'Sloprano' sequence, where Conker, reeking of beer, battles a singing pile of feces. 'Check 'strong language,' 'sexual themes,' 'violence,' ' says Chris Seavor, pointing at the form. The programmer hesitates—Nintendo has never published a game with all these boxes ticked. But the team knows: this M rating isn't a warning; it's a declaration. Conker's Bad Fur Day will be the game that proves cartoon animals can be as crude as any adult comedy.

Reader's Guide

The ESRB Mature rating was assigned to Conker's Bad Fur Day due to its graphic violence, strong language, offensive humor, and other mature content. The game's packaging and title screen display a content advisory to warn players.

Did You Know?

• Conker's Bad Fur Day was originally developed as a family-friendly game called Twelve Tales: Conker 64 before being retooled with mature content.
• A graphically improved remake of Conker's Bad Fur Day, Conker: Live & Reloaded, was released on June 21, 2005 in North America for the original Xbox.
• Conker's Bad Fur Day was included in the Rare Replay compilation for Xbox One.
• Conker's Other Bad Day, a planned direct sequel, was cancelled after Microsoft's purchase of Rare.