The Colonists, a chill strategy game about robots who tell the human race to screw off and find their own planet, released for Switch on May 4. A week

A Developer Asks Why Their Non-Violent Switch Game Was De-Listed for Violence

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2021-06-21 08:30:12

The Colonists, a chill strategy game about robots who tell the human race to screw off and find their own planet, released for Switch on May 4. A week later, the game was removed from the eShop, Switch's online store, in some regions over an "issue" with its ratings. I could buy The Colonists now in the United States, but in certain European countries? Maybe not.

This is a game where the player can build watchtowers that shoot arrows, but those arrows can only hit buildings—they never attack anything living. What could be the ratings "issue"?

The problem is a quirk related to the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). Most people are familiar with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings, the black and white content icons tucked away on video game boxes. The ESRB is only for games in the United States, and there are different ratings systems in different regions. A roadblock facing developers hoping to release their games internationally is trying to navigate all of those ratings systems, with IARC promising to be a one stop shop that helps guide you through it.

In short, IARC asks developers to self-assess the content of their games, and IARC takes that information and applies the appropriate rating in every region. You're golden. In theory.