Epic Games Store welcomes blockchain games despite ‘adults only’ ratings

Epic Games, known for Fortnite, breaks its ban on ‘adults only’ games, allowing blockchain titles with AO ratings by the ESRB.

The Epic Games Store, a digital distribution platform operated by Epic Games, the creator of popular video games like Fortnite and Unreal Tournament, has decided to welcome back blockchain-powered video games that were previously classified as “Adults Only” (AO) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), according to the firm’s latest updates. The move marks a departure from the platform’s strict prohibition on AO-rated games, typically associated with excessive nudity or violence.

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The marketplace’s content guidelines page now says that the Epic Games Store makes an “exception for products in cases where an AO rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology.” In a commentary to The Verge, a spokesperson for Epic Games confirmed the move, saying that some blockchain-based video games received AO ratings only due to their particular implementation of blockchain.

📣 Heads up: Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3 have returned to the Store after a change in our content policy regarding ratings for blockchain-based games. Learn more: https://t.co/RQGGzWGeG8

— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) December 19, 2023

With the latest update, the Epic Games Store returned some of the games like Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3, which were previously removed due to their ratings.

The ESRB’s AO rating is recognized as the strictest, prompting some stores to abstain from selling these games entirely. In contrast to platforms like Steam and Itch.io, which allow AO games with the option for users to filter them, Steam does not embrace blockchain games. According to blockchain developers, Steam’s point of view is that “items have value and they [Steam developers] don’t allow items that can have real-world value on their platform.”

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