The M rating for the highly anticipated 'Batman Arkham Knight' game shocked many as the series hasn't traditionally received such severe ratings, but a recent response from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has the provided specific reasoning behind it.

This will reportedly be Rocksteady Studios darkest title yet. Along with the game adopting mild profanity this time around, it is also said to contain graphic scenes of torture and violence, specifically from the Dark Knight himself.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board states:

"Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle's wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence."

"Cutscenes depict characters getting shot (on and off camera) while restrained or unarmed. Large bloodstains/pools of blood appear in crime scenes and in the aftermath of violent acts; one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table."

"During the course of the game, players can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. Neon signs in a red-light district read 'live nude girls' and 'XXX.' The words 'b***h,' 'gobs***e,' and 'a**' appear in the dialogue."

Game director Sefton Hill comments that the M rating wasn't his intention and he was just as shocked as any.

"From our point of view, we never wrote it or made it with a rating in mind," he says, "We never did that in the previous two games... We just felt that this is the story that we really wanted to tell."

'Arkham Knight' will release for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 2^nd.