The non-governmental American organization Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which is engaged in setting age ratings for games launched in the United States and Canada, stops from June 2018 to independently issue them to games distributed digitally for free.
Previously, the developer of such titles could get this rating without payment after correspondence with representatives of the organization and passing a special survey. Now there will be no such process
The news affects only those teams that create games for consoles. Platform holders are jealous of the content. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo require age ratings for products on their sites. Age ratings are optional for Steam, and when published on mobile platforms, the rating is obtained during a survey in the developer panel.
The decision taken by the ESRB could make it difficult for indie teams publishing projects independently to enter the console market, if not for one detail. Creators of digital games and applications will have the opportunity to get an ESRB rating for free through the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) service.
IARC was specially launched in order for content producers to have the opportunity to receive regional ratings for free. Now the ratings received through it are supported by the Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop and Oculus Store. As for the PlayStation Store, which does not officially support IARC procedures yet, the ESRB assures that there is also “nothing to worry about”.
Source: GamesIndustry