FAQ: App World Game Restrictions for Australians and South Koreans

For the second time this week I noticed that a hot free game was available to every country in App World except for Australia and South Korea. I found this very odd since both of them are huge cellphone markets and I have yet to see one game that is available in those countries. A few of you asked me why Australia and South Korea are specifically excluded from these great apps so I decided to do some digging.

After searching online a bit I pinged a few developers I know and immediately Fabian, the developer of LaterDude Pro, let me know why. In the App World Vendor Portal there is a “Special Notice” for game vendors distributing games in Australia and South Korea. You can read the full text below but let me summarize.

Both Australia and South Korea require that ALL GAMES be rated/classified by a board. RIM does not allow you to offer games to those countries unless you can provide evidence that your game has received a rating in those countries. Sucks right? Now I just hope this makes game developers (especially free game developers) realize that they should offer their games in other marketplaces other than App World due to these ridiculous laws in the age of the internet and the global marketplace. What do you think?

Check out the full details below:

SPECIAL NOTICE TO GAME VENDORS DISTRIBUTING IN SOUTH KOREA

As set out in the BlackBerry App World Vendor Agreement between You and Research In Motion Limited, you are required to ensure that any application You submit to BlackBerry App World complies with all applicable laws in the territories for which You have indicated in the Vendor Portal that the application is eligible to be distributed.

Please note that although RIM is not obligated to provide such notices, we would like to advise you that the Game Rating Board of South Korea requires ALL GAMES made available on mobile devices in South Korea to be rated by the Game Rating Board. In order to prepare for the upcoming release please (a) provide us with evidence that any game You wish to have available through BlackBerry App World in South Korea has satisfied the Game Rating Board requirements; or (b) change Your selection of eligible territories (Countries and/or Carriers) for that game, to exclude its availability in South Korea. A failure to do either (a) or (b) prior to March 12, 2010, may impact the availability of Your game on BlackBerry App World in other jurisdictions.

Should your game meet the requirements of the Game Rating Board after March 12, 2010, please provide us with evidence of this prior to changing Your selection of eligible territories. . A failure to do so may impact the availability of Your game on BlackBerry App World in other jurisdictions.

SPECIAL NOTICE TO GAME VENDORS DISTRIBUTING IN AUSTRALIA

With the release of BlackBerry App World in Australia, the regulatory authorities in Australia require all games made available for mobile devices to be classified by their Classification Board prior to being made available in Australia.

This currently affects all free games that have either All Countries or include Australia in the country rule. There are two options that you can choose from:

1. Provide us with evidence that any game You wish to have made available through BlackBerry App World in Australia has satisfied the classification requirements under Australian law.
2. Change your selection of eligible territories (Countries and Carriers) for that game to exclude its availability in Australia.

Selecting option (2) will help ensure that there are no interruptions with your free games as we move forward with the release of BlackBerry App World in Australia. Additionally, selecting option (2) will not prevent You from providing the classification requirements at a later time. If you opt to remove Australia from your country rule, changing the country rule to specify All Countries except Australia will suffice. The changes can be made by logging into the Vendor Portal. For more information about applying for Classifications for Australia, please visit: Applying for Classification. For information about fees associated with Classification, please visit: Fees for Classification. If you do not take action, you risk having your application removed from BlackBerry App World. It is highly recommended to take action immediately.