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There were many false reports about how GTA 6 sales are going to be affected by the ESRB's rumored facial recognition technology. Note that this new tech will have zero bearing on whether people under 17 years old can purchase the new game. This article will include the ESRB's own words for false narratives associated with these rumors that have been wildly popular in late July and early August 2023.
Basically, the ESRB's new facial recognition technology is for the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and it's about personal data. There is nothing about it that would prevent somebody from purchasing GTA 6 or other mature titles. The next section will cover the ESRB's posts on X that clarify this issue.
The ESRB's facial recognition technology won't affect GTA 6's sales
Trending
The above series of posts come from the official ESRB's X account, and it's about the organization clarifying the fake news surrounding their new technology. Their facial recognition application won't affect sales, as evident in ESRB blatantly saying:
"...the ESRB is NOT seeking approval to implement this technolgoy to scan children's faces to determine if they are old enough to purchase, download, and/or play a video game."
Hence, nothing in this new technology will prevent a child from purchasing or playing GTA 6, contrary to the myriad of fake news reporting otherwise.
ESRB later clarifies why the new facial recognition technology exists. It's essentially for COPPA, so companies don't collect data from anybody under 13 years old without a parent's consent. In the grand scheme of things, this won't affect GTA 6's sales in the way that many gamers thought it would.
One detail to keep in mind is that the ESRB is only relevant in a few North American countries. Other nations will have different agencies that handle ratings, so make sure to consult with your local laws regarding purchasing mature video games.
Similarly, retailers may have their own rules for if they can sell mature games to children or not. Such regulations aren't from ESRB or their new technology.
Popular example of a false narrative surrounding the facial recognition news
The above video has over 8.7M views and claims that "Kids WON'T Be Able to Play GTA 6." This clip is one of many examples of the fake news surrounding the ESRB's new facial recognition technology. For clarification, nothing will change with how people purchase Grand Theft Auto 6 based on their age. Remember, the ESRB said that scanning children's faces won't prevent them from playing a game, regardless of their age.
If one goes on X and other social media platforms, they may see other examples of misinterpreted facts about this topic. Such takes will get more outdated than GTA Online money glitches that get patched by Rockstar Games.
Verdict
Hopefully, people understand by now that the ESRB's new facial recognition technology won't affect how kids buy, download, or play GTA 6. The only facet that would limit this game's sales is if some massive controversy forces it to become Adults Only, like how GTA San Andreas was negatively affected by the Hot Coffee scandal for a short time back in the day.
Even then, that theoretical scenario is not tied to the new facial recognition software.
