Epic Games has announced that Fortnite will soon receive an age-rating requirement for player-made content.
On October 3, Epic shared a post on its creator portal revealing that it has partnered with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) and will introduce the new age rating system on November 14, 2023.
The system will be for "internationally-recognized age and content ratings for all first and third-party playable content" with Epic explaining that all creators will be required to fill out an IARC content rating questionnaire - which will be available from October 16 in the Creator Portal.
The form will be reviewed by Epic and the user will then receive an age-based IARC rating for their content, ranging from from E to Teen, along with region-specific ratings, which will automatically appear on the projects they create in-game.
The content Epic is referring to is Fortnite's islands - a template in Fortnite: Creative mode that allows players to make all sorts of creations. After the new rating system goes live, parents and guardians will be able to use new options in Epic’s existing Parental Controls settings to set age rating limits.
They can also block islands above a certain rating, unlock specific islands that exceed the set ratings threshold using the Parental Controls PIN, as well as an option to turn on/off the ability for children to design their own games in Creative Mode.
"By implementing the IARC rating system within Fortnite, Epic continues to elevate its commitment to providing families with tools to make informed decisions about which experiences are appropriate for their children," said Patricia Vance, president of ESRB and chairperson of IARC.
"As Fortnite evolves from its Battle Royale roots into a broader ecosystem containing a variety of content from Epic and other creators, it’s especially important that parents have a clear understanding of what their children want to access."
Last week, the developer announced that the game's V-Bucks currency will get more expensive in multiple countries on October 27 following the news that it plans to lay over 800 employees.
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