Diablo III Rating In Korea Delayed for the Fourth Time

Giuseppe Nelva January 6, 2012 9:01 AM EST

South Korean industry and media sources (like the prominent local gaming site Thisisgame.com) expected Diablo III to finally receive the much coveted 18+ rating in Korea today, but it simply didn’t happen.

The endless saga (that is now turning into something more similar to a farce) that sees the rating of the upcoming and massively anticipated game by Blizzard continuously postponed by the local Game Rating Board continues: during the hearing that happened today no decision was taken.

According to the Korean branch of Blizzard there’s no indication that something is wrong with the game, so the company is taking a “wait and see” stance, but quite obviously the officials of the Game Rating Board believe that the game requires further time and consideration in order to be rated, despite the fact that the usual waiting time for a local rating is 15 days.

In the meanwhile the fanbase of the game is starting to reach the boiling point: South Korean gaming forums are bursting with comments towards the Game Rating Board that could be defined “uncharitable” if I wanted to write the euphemism of the century. The Korean gaming media is starting to use imaginative headlines that include words like “misfiring” or “dud” referring to the hearings of the committee.

Many western fans and part of the media are convinced (despite the firm denial by game director Jay Wilson and other Blizzard sources) that the lack of any western release date for Diablo III is due to the rating problems in Korea, and some are blaming Blizzard for committing to a global release.

At the moment there’s no word, official or unofficial, about when the rating could actually be delivered. The next hearing of the Game Rating Board is next wednesday, but we don’t know if Diablo III will even be on the schedule.