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Epic Games has announced a partnership with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to rate all islands and other content published through Fortnite’s Creative Mode.
As with full games, the IARC will assign a rating from E for everyone to a maximum of Teen. Epic says these will be prominently displayed in order to help parents better understand the content their children have access to through Fortnite.
Parents will also be able to use the game’s Parental Controls to block islands that are above a certain age rating, although specific creations can be unlocked by using the PIN number. They can also set whether or not their children can design their own games in Fortnite’s Creative Mode.
The age ratings will be introduced on November 14, and any unrated islands will be delisted on this date.
Creators can use an IARC questionnaire made available through the Creator Portal on October 16, which will help issue an age-based IARC rating, as well as region-specific ratings from authorities that are part of the coalition.
Partner agencies include North America’s ESRB, Europe’s PEGI, Germany’s USK, Brazil’s ClassInd and more. These agencies may modify one or more of the ratings given based on their own review.
The questionnaire must be filled out before Epic moderators review and publish any player-created islands.
“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 IARC chairperson and ESRB president Patricia Vance.
“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.”
