Left 4 Dead 2 Box Art Changed By ESRB

The ESRB forced Valve to make Left 4 Dead 2’s box artwork less violent around the time of E3.The news comes via a post on Valve’s Left 4 Dead blog, which hints at the issues with the ESRB in a typically over-the-top manner.Left 4 Dead’s box art was a visual pun: it featured a left hand with the thumb bitten off and all other fingers raised, signifying each word in the title. Left 4 Dead 2’s box art removes the ring and pinky fingers, leaving two fingers standing. The two removed fingers were initially bitten off in the image, as with the thumb, but the ESRB reportedly told Valve that this wasn’t acceptable, and so the fingers are now bent back.All other content in the game is entirely acceptable, according to Ars Technica, so remember: you can smack zombies with fire axes or blow their heads off with shotguns, but having a finger chewed off is just sick. Be warned that there is an image of the disgusting, banned box art through that link. Children beware.Left 4 Dead 2 will be hitting stores on 17 November, if Valve have actually learned how to stick to release dates.