The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has decided to withdraw its abbreviated evaluation system.
In a statement provided to Gamasutra, the ESRB indicated that it will no longer offer developers the opportunity to use the short form to have their games evaluated. The system is used to evaluate only digital titles and does not cost anything. The long form system is used for games that have a physical version and requires developers to pay fees.
The movement is particularly worrying for independent developers as production expenses are tight. Digital games are much cheaper to produce, but not having a way to evaluate the titles could hinder game makers. Fortunately, the ESRB says that studios can still get their products for free by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), which was created by the council to make it easier for publishers to evaluate their work. other regions such as the United Kingdom and Australia.
The bad news is that IARC is currently only supported on some showcases - especially Nintendo eShop, Google Play, Oculus Store and the Microsoft Store. Without an affordable and accessible evaluation system for other marketplaces like the PlayStation Store, Apple's App Store and Steam, independent developers could be squeezed out of these areas.
"The physical product will continue to undergo the ESRB detailed form evaluation process, for which developers must pay fees."
However, the commission believes that it may have an alternative solution before withdrawing the short form.
"We expect that an ESRB classification solution will be available to all downloadable console game developers at no cost to them," said one representative. "Despite what some developers may have heard, we have not yet set a specific date for the withdrawal of the shortened ESRB process, we will provide the developer community with concrete updates on this as soon as possible. they will be available. "
The board also announced that it was planning to deploy the IARC on the PlayStation Store, but it did not mention it on other platforms where digital indie games are sold.
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