Epic is reportedly partnering up with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to bring an age rating system to custom content made by users on Fortnite, beginning November 14, 2023. The system, when it comes into effect, will apply to both first- and third-party playable content.
Creators looking to be assigned an age rating will have to fill out an IARC content rating questionnaire, which will then be reviewed by Epic moderators.
The content of the creator’s island will then receive an age-based classification in addition to region-specific ratings, subject to the IARC-participating rating bodies. Namely, ESRB in North America, ACB in Australia, and PEGI in Europe.
Beginning October 16, applicants will be able to view the questionnaire in the Creator Portal. However, content creators are encouraged to apply for an age rating of their island soon. Otherwise, any island not yet rated by November 14 will be delisted.
To ensure the safety of the general players of Fortnite, Epic is making islands with E to Teen ratings a top priority. That is, by making such content widely available to most users, displaying prominently just before users access islands.
Epic is also involving the parents in guaranteeing that their children are enjoying the appropriate. Through the updated parental control features, parents or guardians will be able to set constraints on what their kids can access. For instance, they can choose to block content that is beyond a certain age rating. However, the parent or guardian could still choose to enable content past a certain threshold with the use of a PIN.
