10 Video Game Secrets That Broke The Law

These secrets caused HUGE legal headaches.

Punch Out Wii
Nintendo

Even the simplest video games are comprised of a mind-boggling number of moving parts, enough that it isn't always possible for those in charge to keep track of everything.

And so, sometimes mistakes are made. Sometimes cheeky members of the dev team include Easter eggs in the game that are ethically dubious at best and, in fact, might incur legal action when discovered.

As much as we all love sneaky video game Easter eggs, these ones were dangerous enough in crossing the legal line that they risked serious consequences for the developer and publisher, perhaps even costing them millions of dollars.

Some thankfully didn't have such dire outcomes, yet nevertheless prove that one person's idea of a joke can end up harming a company's reputation, or at least cause them a major headache cleaning it all up.

From graphic nudity in games aimed at children to poorly-timed parodies, and artwork which straight-up threatened to violate international law, these 10 video game secrets all resulted in potentially hefty legal issues for those at the top.

The lesson here? If you embed something in a game's code, somebody online will always find it...

10. Nudalities - The Apprentice

Punch Out Wii
The Vision Factory

1994's Philips CD-i exclusive platformer The Apprentice might seem warm, fuzzy, and entirely appropriate for children, yet the game also contains a number of secret, incredibly R-rated Game Over screens intended to parody Mortal Kombat's iconic Fatalities.

Upon receiving a Game Over, if players entered one of several codes before player character Marvin stopped walking, they could unlock some rather suspect animations.

These ranged from Fatalities where you could witness monkey enemies be brutally decapitated - is there any other way? - to Animalities which turned the game's Bonus Stage girls into stuffed animals, and most jarringly, Nudalities which stripped the aforementioned girls completely nude.

Given that The Apprentice was marketed as a game for children and otherwise appeared to be such, including images of naked women was skating on thin legal ice at absolute best, especially as the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was literally formed mere months before the game's release.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.