In Fortnite’s goal to become “multi-game ecosystem” and a creative platform, Fortnite will soon require age rating for all first and third-party content. To make this happen, Epic has formed a partnership with the International Age Rating Coalition, or IARC. If you fashion yourself a creator on Fortnite, this new regulation takes effect starting on November 14.
“When you are ready to publish your island to Fortnite, you will fill out the IARC content rating questionnaire before you submit your island to be published and reviewed by Epic moderators,” the Fortnite Team wrote in a blog post.
“When the questionnaire is complete, you will receive an age-based IARC rating for the content of your island along with region-specific ratings from IARC-participating rating authorities. These ratings will automatically be applied and prominently displayed prior to access.”
It appears that the IARC will consult regional ratings boards such as the ESRB for North America, PEGI for Europe, ACB for Australia, USK for Germany, and others based on where the player is based. This solution seems to be one designed to protect both creators and audiences — especially younger audiences — to create and consume Fortnite experiences tailor-made for their comfortability level.
While this regulation doesn’t go into full-effect until November 14, the abovementioned IARC questionnaire goes live on October 16. It’s to ensure creators have enough time to rate their experiences before the cutoff deadline of — you guessed it — November 14. According to the blog post, any experience left unrated will be delisted on that date, so make sure to abide by the new rule. We’d hate to see the islands you spent so much time and hard work on go dark.
