Nintendo of Europe has finally removed the age restrictions on the eShop channels for Wii U and 3DS, Eurogamer reports. The site has published a copy of the message that will appear on European Wii U and 3DS consoles today:
Dear Customer,
Nintendo has lifted the access restrictions content rated 18+. Adults can now browse and buy all games at any time of the day.
Following analysis of the Parental Controls system on 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. Nintendo's Parental Control system was found to have proved itself in practice.
Nintendo always encourages parents to make use of Parental Controls to control access to content they deem inappropriate for their children.
Previously, players in Europe were unable to access 18+ content on the eShop – either to buy or just to browse – except between 11pm and 3am German time, because Nintendo of Europe is based in Germany and German law dictates that 18+ rated content must only be available at night. Players were disgruntled because the restriction ignored any parental controls and resulted in a blanket ban for console owners of any age, so now that Nintendo has reconsidered its position we should see a lot of happy European adults today.
Were you affected by these age restrictions? Are you glad to see them gone, or do you happen to agree with the need for a law like this?
