Epic Games Store has relaxed its content guidelines for publishers to allow games which have been rated Adults Only by the ESRB, so long as the rating has only been applied due to the presence of blockchain technology.
The subtle changes were noticed two days ago on 19th December, when Epic announced two games, Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3, have been relisted on its storefront. Both games were removed from the store after they received an Adults Only rating from the ESRB in the USA.
Previously, Epic banned all games with an Adults Only rating from its store but has openly welcomed blockchain games. In order to allow Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3 back onto its store, Epic has tweaked its policies on prohibited content.
“The Epic Games Store makes an exception for products in cases where an [Adults Only] rating was applied solely due to the usage of blockchain or NFT technology,” has been added to Epic’s content guidelines. The games must still comply with Epic’s rules on “pornography, gambling, and hateful content” and its rules on blockchain technology.
📣 Heads up: Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3 have returned to the Store after a change in our content policy regarding ratings for blockchain-based games. Learn more: https://t.co/RQGGzWGeG8
— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) December 19, 2023
Epic’s stance is very much the polar opposite to its main competitor Steam. Valve banned blockchain games which “issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs” from Steam back in 2021, while Epic has created a small loophole to ensure blockchain games can still be sold on its store.