• 180 Reversal: Microsoft to allow "Mature" games in European Windows 8 Store
    11 replies, posted
[quote=Ars Technica]Microsoft has reversed a controversial decision that created a strange gap between which games would be allowed on the digital Windows 8 Store in America and which would be allowed on its European counterpart, thanks to a discrepancy in the way those regions' ratings boards handle similar games. Originally, Microsoft planned to have the Windows 8 Store block games that received an ESRB rating of Adults Only (AO) in the US or a PEGI 18 rating in Europe (such Windows 8 games could still be bought at retail, or from digital services like Steam, but not from Microsoft's official digital store). This plan ended up being much more restrictive on the European version of the store, though, because the top-level 18 rating covers a wide range of games that would only merit a Mature (M) rating in North America. Titles ranging from Dishonored and Doom 3 to Serious Sam 3, Bioshock, and hundreds of others would have been perfectly allowable on the US Windows 8 store, but not in Europe. Today, Microsoft announced that it would be reversing that decision, allowing PEGI 18 games that also received a Mature rating from the ESRB in its store. Games that receive an AO rating from the ESRB will still be banned from the store in both regions, but very few games merit such a rating, and the ones that do are usually better classified as straight up pornography than real games. Windows Corporate VP of Web Services Antoine Leblond tells Gizmodo that the new policy won't take effect right away, and that developers may have to wait until December to get their M/18-rated titles on the European Windows 8 Store. We're a bit confused about why such a delay is necessary, but at least this odd discrepancy will be fixed.[/quote] [url="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/10/microsoft-to-allow-mature-games-in-european-windows-8-store/"]Source[/url]. I am glad they reversed this stupid decision.
Sweet. Now I can have 17 police officers worth of blood on my metro interface to keep me from falling into a narcoleptic coma.
What, and not the American market? This is a strange twist to a usually reversed situation...
Its not like people will actually buy games on there instead of Steam anyways.
[QUOTE=BlueYoshi;38184393]Its not like people will actually buy games on there instead of Steam anyways.[/QUOTE]Let's hope it's not forcefed like DirectX.
it's not a reversal, it's more of a clear-up in America AO games still won't be on the store, but Microsoft screwed up and thought that AO translates to 18+ in Europe which any European who plays games will know is completely wrong. AO in America usually means the game has explicit strong sexual content, while in Europe 18+ is given to mainstream titles like ArmA2
This is an outrage Pretty sure I'm going to buy a mature rated video game and go on a blood lust killing spree thanks Microsoft its set in stone now
[QUOTE=thisispain;38184505]it's not a reversal, it's more of a clear-up in America AO games still won't be on the store, but Microsoft screwed up and thought that AO translates to 18+ in Europe which any European who plays games will know is completely wrong. AO in America usually means the game has explicit strong sexual content, while in Europe 18+ is given to mainstream titles like ArmA2[/QUOTE] AO is almost always restricted to visible sex or hardcore and graphic murder and other really really crazy shit.
2012 is the year of the Flip Floppers
[QUOTE=areolop;38187808]2012 is the year of the Flip Floppers[/QUOTE] I wouldn't call this a flip flop. They misunderstood how European ratings work, and now that they understand better, they're updating their terms so that the two regions match each other.
PEGI 18 holds a lot less negative bias than ESRB AO. If I recall a lot of US retails actually refuse to stock with AO titles. (like wallmart) Also PEGI 18 is given out a bit more easily than AO, in part again of the different cultural aproach. Basically a lot of ESRB M and E rated games actually fall under the scope of PEGI 18.
[QUOTE=wraithcat;38188368]PEGI 18 holds a lot less negative bias than ESRB AO. If I recall a lot of US retails actually refuse to stock with AO titles. (like wallmart) Also PEGI 18 is given out a bit more easily than AO, in part again of the different cultural aproach. Basically a lot of ESRB M and E rated games actually fall under the scope of PEGI 18.[/QUOTE] Yeah, AO is only for interactive pornography or murder/torture simulators.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.