Nintendo Lifts European eShop Age Restrictions

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Nintendo Lifts European eShop Age Restrictions


Adult gamers in Europe can now browse and buy 18+ content on Nintendo's eShop at any time of the day or night.

In one of the most bizarre examples of game content censorship I've ever run into, Nintendo decided late last year to restrict access [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120988-Nintendo-of-Europe-Blocks-Daytime-18-eShop-Content] to digital content rated 18+ on the Wii U and 3DS to the hours of 11 pm to 3 am. That late-night window, according to a Nintendo rep, was "an additional precaution to make sure that minors cannot access content which is inappropriate for their age," and the fact that adult gamers were caught in that wide net was apparently just one of those unfortunate omelettes-and-eggs situations.

But now it seems that Nintendo has recognized the error of its ways and removed the restriction, allowing adults to "browse and buy all games at any time of the day."

"Following analysis of the Parents Controls system on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in cooperation with USK, the German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body, it was deemed that Nintendo's Parental Control system is of very high quality and offers a remarkable level of protection for children," the company said in a statement sent out to users. "Nintendo's Parental Control system was found to have proved itself in practice."

Nintendo confirmed that the statement was legit, telling Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-21-nintendo-of-europe-removes-eshop-restrictions-on-18-rated-games], "At Nintendo we always aim to provide a safe gaming experience for fans of all ages and ensure that we comply with applicable legal age restriction requirements across Europe. The USK is the perfect partner for Nintendo to achieve this." The USK was involved in the process because it was concern with German content regulations that led to the restrictions in the first place.

Source: NeoGAF [http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=50955750&postcount=35]


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Shadow-Phoenix

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Mar 22, 2010
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DVS BSTrD said:
Yeah, because nobody under the age of 18 can stay up past 11.
And Germany, y u no grow up?
About time they got around to doing that.

Also Germany needs to grow up or it's going back to old Germany.

 

Zombie_Moogle

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Dec 25, 2008
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This reads to me as "Nintendo tires of 18+ content not selling - like, at all"

I'm sure Nintendo thought this was a cute gimmick & played into their family-friendly image, but then we learned that the Wii U sales projections were... let's say optimistic... Now they're ready to put on their big boy pants & drop the superfluous sales restrictions
 

RicoADF

Welcome back Commander
Jun 2, 2009
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DVS BSTrD said:
Yeah, because nobody under the age of 18 can stay up past 11.
And Germany, y u no grow up?
I think it was less Germany requiring it and Nintendo siding too far on the side of caution to avoid possability of fines.
 

CrystalShadow

don't upset the insane catgirl
Apr 11, 2009
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Ah yes. I saw this notice in the e-shop.

About bloody time too. XD - Because those time restrictions have caught me out more times than I'd like to think. I'd see something listed in the e-shop, go to have a closer look, only to get the really confusing 'this content is not available right now.' message that goes along with this age restriction...
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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So, around 6% there?

I guess this is low content. they lifted a compeltely moronic rescriction, while leaving a lot of other restrictions in place, because "think of da children trololol"
 

andersgeek

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Jul 6, 2010
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RicoADF said:
I think it was less Germany requiring it and Nintendo siding too far on the side of caution to avoid possability of fines.
Only, primarily it were German laws that led to this, and as j-e-f-f-e-r-s said, a company has to adhere to the laws of the country they're based in. We really have such stupid laws in this country that restrict the sale of adult content to these night hours, even when there's a age-check system in place.
 

SacremPyrobolum

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Dec 11, 2010
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wackelpudding said:
RicoADF said:
I think it was less Germany requiring it and Nintendo siding too far on the side of caution to avoid possability of fines.
Only, primarily it were German laws that led to this, and as j-e-f-f-e-r-s said, a company has to adhere to the laws of the country they're based in. We really have such stupid laws in this country that restrict the sale of adult content to these night hours, even when there's a age-check system in place.
Living in Munich I find it funny that the Germans are so concerned over adult digital content as they most certainly don't care about it IRL. You can go topless to the park or even naked as long as your an old man and have a bunch of old man friends and a comically long bicycle (yes, I've seen that and I had to clean my guts up off the curve from laughing).

No one cares where or at what age you smoke and the drinking, well, the say that at 18 you can drink liquor, at 17 wine, and at 16 beer but it is more accurate to say that you can drink liquor at 16, wine whenever, and it is mandatory for all schools to have beer drinking fountains.

I've always seen Germany as the country which doesn't give a single wurst to things that aren't important for the running of the country.

EDIT: I mean for God's sake you have topless bars advertised proudly at a bus stop but when someone put that online it's suddenly a witch hunt.
 

RicoADF

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Jun 2, 2009
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wackelpudding said:
RicoADF said:
I think it was less Germany requiring it and Nintendo siding too far on the side of caution to avoid possability of fines.
Only, primarily it were German laws that led to this, and as j-e-f-f-e-r-s said, a company has to adhere to the laws of the country they're based in. We really have such stupid laws in this country that restrict the sale of adult content to these night hours, even when there's a age-check system in place.
Ok I stand corrected, guess they've finally seperated Germany from the rest of the EU (different servers or something) to allow this then, didn't realise Germany had such a stupid law :-/