Fortnite maker Epic Games has introduced age ratings for its user-created content, both first-party and third-party, that is published via Fortnite‘s Creative Mode. Epic Games has partnered with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) which provides a global ratings and age classification system for digital games and apps.
The new age rating in Fortnite will start on November 14 and feature internationally recognized age ratings for its islands and other content. IARC also works with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) for age and content ratings.
Fortnite Introduces Age Ratings for Fortnite Creative Mode Content
Epic Games stated that all experiences published through Creative Mode in Fortnite will have ratings assigned by an IARC from E to the maximum rating of Teen. The company stated that all these ratings will be displayed for parents to easily understand and choose what content they want their children to consume.
Epic Games continued that Fortnite is aiming to become a multi-game ecosystem with various games and experiences from first and third-party creators and the age ratings will help the game be a safe and fun experience for players of all ages. Speaking about the age ratings in Fortnite, Patricia Vance, president of ESRB and chairperson of IARC stated,
“By implementing the IARC rating system within Fortnite, Epic continues to elevate its commitment to providing families with tools to make informed decisions about which experiences are appropriate for their children.”
“As Fortnite evolves from its Battle Royale roots into a broader ecosystem containing a variety of content from Epic and other creators, it’s especially important that parents have a clear understanding of what their children want to access.”
Parents will be able to use new options that will be in Fortnite‘s parental controls and set content age rating limits as per their choices. They will be able to use these controls to block islands above a certain rating that they are not comfortable with as well as unlock islands that are at par with their set rating limits with the use of Parental Controls PIN.
Also Read: Secretlab’s Expanded Fortnite Collection Finally Shown Off
Parents will also be able to switch on/off the ability for children to design games in Fortnite Creative Mode. All these changes can be made and updated via Fortnite or by logging into Epic Account Portal.
How Do Age Ratings Work in Fortnite?
Epic Games explained the process and said that creators can fill IARC content rating questionnaire once they are ready with their content and submit it for review. After filling out and submitting the questionnaire, creators will get an age rating for the content on their islands as well as region-specific ratings. The islands will only be published once the questionnaires are reviewed by Epic moderators.
These age ratings will be automatically applied and displayed before players can access the content. The ratings and content sensitivities will differ by region and these will be provided by IARC’s partner agencies in different regions. These authorities include ESRB for North America, PEGI for Europe, ACB for Australia, USK for Germany, ClassInd for Brazil, and more depending on where creators are based.
The rating authorities will also be able to change and update these ratings as per their review of the experiences after publishing. Epic Games will make the IARC questionnaire available on the Creator Portal from October 16 until November 14 which players can fill out and submit to get ratings for their islands as the unrated islands will be removed on November 14.
Also Read: Hours After Sacking 900 Employees, Epic Games Announce Fortnite V-Bucks Price Rise
What are your thoughts about the newly announced age ratings in Fortnite? Do you think it will make the game more suitable for underage children? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Epic Games
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
