An Important Note from Microsoft Game Studios: The ESRB requires that game trailers with mature content must be Age-Gated. For more details, please read the letter accompanying this announcement prior to posting the Lionhead Episode 6 video diary.

Lionhead opens its doors to a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the art and the Hero in “Fable 2”
 
Furiously scribbling away and glued to their monitors all day, Lionhead’s artists are light at heart but hard at work on the Xbox 360 exclusive “Fable 2,” the highly-anticipated sequel to the best-selling Xbox exclusive “Fable.” In Episode 6, the team shares their thoughts on the importance of concept art and technical animations in the creation of “Fable 2” and challenges that they must overcome. In a game that allows players to truly live the life they choose, where every choice continually defines who the character becomes, the art of morphing the hero also cannot be missed. Hear the artistic crew explain the morphing of the hero and customization features that will be expanding leaps and bounds beyond the scope and depth of the original Xbox classic. The lads on the team also take a break from their desks to answer the question: “What would you do if you were a woman for a day?” To see what kind of zany responses they concocted, head over to Xbox LIVE Marketplace to download the video diary.
 
Check out Episode 6 at www.lionhead.com and on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING:

DATE: June 24, 2008

The ESRB requires that all trailers with Mature ("M") or Adults Only ("AO") content MUST be behind an ESRB compliant age-gate with NO EXCEPTIONS. Game publishers that do not comply with the age gate requirement are subject to enforcement actions by the ESRB. If for any reason, you are unable to age-gate the trailer(s) listed below, you MUST contact Chrystina Woody, Edelman, (323) 202-1070 so that we may provide you with an edited version of the trailer that is compliant with ARC’s Principles and Guidelines.
 
The trailer(s) for the following titles MUST be behind an ESRB compliant age-gate:

Lionhead Episode 6 Video Diary
 
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this regard and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  In addition, ESRB strongly urges you to consult the best practices guidance below.
 
BEST PRACTICES TO LIMIT ACCESS OF INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT TO CHILDREN

The following guidelines for implementing the Age Screen Rule are based on best practices recommended by the Federal Trade Commission in the context of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which in certain circumstances requires age verification before collecting information online from children. 

Please adhere to the following best practices to limit access of inappropriate content to children under the age of 17 (18, in the case of Adults Only).

  1. Online age gates must ask the age of the web user in a neutral manner and must employ reasonable steps to prevent users under the age of 17 (or 18) from changing their age to be older once they have initially been prevented access to the website. 
  2. Acceptable forms of age verification include inserting an age or date of birth field on the web page where access is provided to a demo or trailer, or collecting credit card information in connection with a transaction prior to allowing access to the demo or trailer.  When asking for a user's age or date of birth, companies must provide either an open text field in which consumers can type their age or date of birth or a drop down bar with a full selection of age or years. 
  3. Allowing the user to only enter their age starting with age 17 (or 18) is not permitted.  In addition, categorical age verification is not permitted.  This happens when a user is asked to select one of two categories (e.g., User Under 17 or Adults) or asked whether they were born “on or before,” or “after” a certain date, leading the user to think that there's a significant difference in what they select.  Similarly, check boxes, such as "Click here if you are at least 17 years old," are not acceptable. 
  4. As part of the neutral age screening process, web sites cannot mention the minimum age required for access to the demo or trailer, either on the age screen page itself or in a message appearing after age information has been submitted.  Language such as "Error: You must be 17 years old or older to view" is not within the spirit of the Age-Screen Rule and is only likely to encourage a child to falsify his/her age.  It is recommended that a company drop a session cookie, disable the back button, or take other reasonable measures (e.g., redirecting the user to the home page, etc.) to prevent users from clicking back and re-entering an older age.