ESRB States that Changes Won't Hurt Indie Developers

Recently, the ESRB confirmed that the free rating option available for video games would stop in June. Developers within the indie sphere were concerned that this new policy would prevent them from releasing their games physically.

These concerns surfaced after the ESRB released on their website the changes. Long forms ratings are intensive that require an online questionnaire detailing the game's pertinent content and video capture that provides "typical gameplay, missions, and cutscenes, along with the most extreme instances of content across all relevant categories.

The "Short Form" is for download or online only games that require which require the publisher to access a questionnaire of multiple-choice questions.

With the elimination of the free age rating system, many indie developers were concerned they would be unable to release their games in a physical platform which requires a "Long Form" and the cost linked to the process. The ESRB answered on Twitter:

Developers of digital games & apps will still be able to obtain ESRB ratings at no cost through the IARC rating process. The Microsoft Store deployed IARC years ago & has committed to making IARC ratings accessible to all Xbox developers. So, developers should not be concerned! https://t.co/yRuZn7wNPe

— ESRB (@ESRBRatings) May 17, 2018

The International Age Rating Coalition, or IARC, is a recent age rating system made to expedite the process of applying age ratings. This will give Indie developers some relief as they usually have a smaller budget to work with and must account for every small expense.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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