The director of the British Board of Film Classification has questioned the structure of the Pan European Game Information organization, saying that it’s unclear who PEGI is.

“The trouble is that it is not clear who PEGI is,” BBFC boss David Cooke told The Times. “Administration is handled by the Dutch film regulator, who subcontracts to a couple of blokes [the Video Standards Council] in Borehamwood.”

He then went on to reject claims that the BBFC is unequipped to handle the extra game ratings authority proposed in the Byron Review.

“We would have to review another 300 to 500 games every year under the new proposals, and we think we can do that without taking on any new staff at all,” said Cooke, who currently employs a team of 12 specialized game testers.

He also suggested that comments made by Electronic Arts' Keith Ramsdale, in which the general manager of the publisher's UK arm said that an extension of the BBFC’s remit would lead to delayed game releases and increased rating costs, were misleading.

“I think that is a red herring; Germany and the US have their own systems,” he said.

It currently takes the BBFC eight days to review a game for classification and costs around £1600 on average, a fee that is more likely to fall than rise, according to Cooke, as testers become more efficient at carrying out their duties. “If anything, that is coming down,” he said.