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PEGI age ratings will now be displayed on games sold on the Google Play store.
It is part of PEGI’s roll-out onto digital platforms via The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). The Coalition allows developers to submit their game to one group, and obtain an age rating for multiple markets – including Europe, Australia, Brazil, UK and the US.
PEGI age ratings are also being adopted by the Firefox Marketplace, with Xbox Live, Nintendo eShop and Sony’s PlayStation Store expected to follow.
The IARC system is free and the process is designed to be more streamlined for developers.
PEGI is the legal age ratings system used on all boxed video games.
We are pleased to see major mobile platforms adopting the new IARC system, making it easy and, importantly,free for businesses that publish games to get age ratings across a number of major games markets,” says UKIE CEO Dr. Jo Twist.
Having PEGI ratings on more mobile platforms across Europe also means that we have a more consistent and clear rating process to help consumers understand which games are appropriate for all ages.The introduction of IARC, and its ability to give developers and publishers a territory-relevant rating via one online questionnaire, plus the work the industry has put into the system globally, reflects how seriously the games industry considers its responsibility to players.”
Dirk Bosmans, communications manager of PEGI, added: The market for digital games and mobile apps is exploding across the globe. With a single click, developers can publish their games and apps on digital storefronts reaching a worldwide audience. These realities have created regulatory and cultural challenges that call for an innovative solution like IARC to help developers and storefronts provide consumers with culturally relevant, legally compliant and reliable guidance about the age appropriateness of the content in games and apps they may be considering for download. It is encouraging that digital storefronts recognise the benefits of this groundbreaking initiative.”
