Game Rating Boards: What Markets Require What?

Question

I have converted one of my apps that I wrote for Windows Phone to a Windows Store app. The app is a simple game that is no more than a few circles dropped into the game board (no pictures, cartoons, words, violence, nothing other than a few circles in a rectangle). I was able to submit it when submitting it as a Windows Phone app with no extra game certificates other than a few specific markets, which I just didn't submit it to so I didn't need to go to the extra effort of getting those certificates. I am now having trouble passing certification as a Windows Store app for requirement 6.2, and I am assuming if I just remove it from the markets that require extra certificates everything will be fine. When selecting the markets for the Windows Phone app, it stated beside each market's checkbox what, if any, certificates that market required, so it was easy to tell which ones I needed to deselect, but the Dev Center for Windows Store apps does not have that information beside each market's checkbox. Is there a table somewhere that I can look at so I can just deselect the markets I need to deselect in order to make my app pass certification? I could not seem to find a simple list of this information anywhere, all the pages said how to get certain certificates, but not what countries required which ones. Thanks.

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Nathan Sokalski [e-mail] http://www.nathansokalski.com/

Answer 1

Hi Nathan,

When building your Windows Store app to submit, the Age rating and rating certificates section lists the countries and the types of certificates required for each. Also, if you are submitting a game be sure you have included the the Game Definition File (GDF) for the app. I hope this helps but let us know if you have other questions.

Thanks,

Jesse

Answer 2

Where does it list this? When I submitted my app, in the Selling Details -> Markets section, it simply listed the country names and the amount & currency it would sell for there, like the following:

Algeria
100.00 DZD

Argentina
5.99 ARS

Australia
1.49 AUD

Austria
1.19 EUR

Bahrain
0.590 BHD

…

United Kingdom
0.99 GBP

United States
1.49 USD

Uruguay
1.49 USD

Venezuela
6.49 VEF

Vietnam
30,000 VND

Rest of World

Note that it does not list the required certificates or ratings next to the markets. All I want is a simple list of which markets require any certificates or ratings so that I can deselect those markets. My app is a game, so where & how do I create the GDF?

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Nathan Sokalski [e-mail] http://www.nathansokalski.com/

Answer 3

It's bad User Experience on MSFT's part, but the information that you're looking for is in the "Age rating and rating certificates" section.

Required game ratings
In these countries/regions, a game must be rated by a rating board before you can sell it.

Country       Rating board
Korea         GRB 
South Africa  FPB 
Brazil        DJCTQ 
Taiwan        CSRR

My preference would be to see validations/warnings right on the Markets page, since if you pick one of these four markets but don't include a rating file, then your certification would fail.

IMHO, for a small game publisher with limited time and money, it's so much easier to just skip these four markets when submitting a game to the store (if you want to submit to as many markets as possible).  A lot of people have disagreed with this advice, since it alienates a considerable portion of potential customers.

Answer 4

Nathan,

When you are submitting an app, look at two steps after the selling details and you will  see "Age rating." That is where you will upload your certificates for the various markets you selected in the selling details. Follow the link I included above to learn more about creating a GDF.

Thanks,

Jesse

Answer 5

Jesse,

I have a related issue in my company. We're releasing Windows Phone games in South Africa and the rating certificate is not needed. However, the rating certificate is needed for releasing exactly the same game for Windows 8. My commercial team are having trouble to understand why the certificate is needed for one platform but is optional for the other, being exactly the same game. Could you please help me understand if this is a Microsoft or a FPB requirement? Cheers, Sonia

Answer 6

HI Jesse_F

MY APP: game using javascript and html...

plz help me out. I am unable to fix it out myself :

Your submission includes markets which require a rating from a recognized ratings board...(app doesn't meet requirement 6.2)

although I don't have offensive or adult content....

just now I added a *****.gdf file leaving all thing blanks.....

was it indeed required ,I mean a compulsion to submit....

I just uploaded the file that's it....

hope for you reply...

Answer 7

I just decided to skip the few that required any kind of rating, as in what was marked as the answer, and that is what I suggest most other people do unless they are a large commercial business or for some reason specifically need those markets. Obtaining the certificates is, in my opinion, more effort than they are worth. If you do require these markets and certificates, I really can't help you, since I've never bothered to get them.

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Nathan Sokalski [e-mail] http://www.nathansokalski.com/

Answer 8

Windows Store ratings information

Windows phone ratings information

The "required for games" column is driven by local law, and are subject to change over time.

Note: Support for the Russian Age Rating system in GDFs is new for Windows 8.1 Preview and was added to Windows 8 via KB 2838466

See also:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2012/05/31/windows-8-release-preview-and-gdfs.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chuckw/archive/2013/01/21/game-rating-systems-and-windows-7.aspx