ESRB rating released on Kingdom Hearts III's official website

Thanks for informing us about this, Yoshirai!

Ah, so E10+! I actually thought this time around the game would be rated T for Teen, but then again, ratings have never been an issue for me when it comes to the KH series.

Rob was hoping for the final game in the Xehanort saga to be Cero B/ Rated T. Wouldn't have been the first Disney owned game to be rated T (Tron Evolution).

Alcohol reference? Definitely Pirates of the Caribbean world :D

2 hours ago, Chozé Freedom Svoboda said:

Alcohol reference? Definitely Pirates of the Caribbean world :D

I was thinking that too. Put the flask away Gibbs!

Not really surprised. Then again Disney probably has made clear that no title of there’s is to be rated T. I bet this will push the boundaries for an E10+ rating and flirt with T.

Not surprised. But remember even if it was E10+ we still might see some keyblade stabbing into the characters chest. Kingdom Hearts had some mature moments despite being a Disney kids game.

8 hours ago, Yoshirai said:

Do you expect any sudden change in the rating, or is it going to stay as it is until the release? Let us know in the comments!

Pretty sure a rating can't change once it's given. You have to submit a finalized-ish copy of the game to get it rated.

E10+ is what I expected. T was a possibility, but not a likely one.

To be honest, I'm always happy about consistent ratings. I may be over 18 and can play what I want but since Kingdom Hearts definitely also wants to appeal to a younger audience, it would be terrible to find out you're not allowed to play the third game because of a different rating.

Those below a certain age probably won't mind it much since the focus is different but KH did that before. Imagine getting into a series and then not being allowed to continue it until you're old enough, at least from a legal standpoint.

KH3 will likely be rated USK12 then and I think it's suitable. As we saw in KH1, even at USK 6 you can have a 14 year-old stabbing himself... How profound a game is is not necessarily determined by the rating. It just restricts certain things but the difference between T and 10+ is not really something I'd consider problematic for KH3.

Another thing is that having it rated higher, which would be USK 16 here, would require a little more than these themes, i.e. sexual content, blood and the like. KH won't suffer from the E10+ rating and it will be as usual.

I don't think it will change either. The alcohol which will likely be referenced at least in the PoH world prevents a lower rating and, regardless of it being Disney, KH isn't prone to other topics requiring a higher rating. It doesn't make it more mature either just to have it rated T. Suddenly changing that formula would make me question it.

This was the rating I was expecting. I don't really know how much of a difference E 10+ is to T, except maybe more sexual stuff and a bit more bloody? More alcohol? Swearing? *shrugs*. Anyway, Kingdom Hearts should appeal to as wide of an audience as possible, so it has more mass appeal. It's got a bunch of Disney characters after all, it would be really out of place for a character like Mickey Mouse to be in a rated T game. Impossible even. Disney has a lot of brands aimed for kids in the game. They're gonna wanna play it.

Kingdom Hearts 3 does not need to be rated T to be more mature. Kingdom Hearts can be for everyone and still be mature. I never liked the idea that "kid's media" are childish and lesser than "adult media". Heck, there's nothing wrong with being childish and just fun. Now it might be arguable it Kingdom Hearts is a "kid's game", but the truth of it is it appeals to a lot of children, and they should be able to play. And the developers (and older fans of the series) need to keep that in mind.

Alcohol Reference = Obviously Remy drinking some vodka with Sora 

Ah good ol Pirates of the Caribbean, giving us that 10+ bump from E. I mean ratings have never really held this series back that much (if anything Japan tends to needlessly censor more things than we do in this series...). Even if some lines get changed around, they never really affect the spirit of the stories they recreate, and it certainly doesn't prevent really gripping events from happening. Might not get as much blood or stabbing as some people have been hoping for (for some reason...), but I wouldn't be surprised if there was at least one good "Hell" in there or "Damned", because again, Pirates. Heck, even Maleficent has brought back her classic "Hell" line in Birth By Sleep, so really anything is feasible at this point.

On 10/21/2018 at 6:15 PM, Novayon KH said:

I was thinking that too. Put the flask away Gibbs!

Did you forget about Jack Sparrow's love of rum?

8 hours ago, Scsigs said:

Did you forget about Jack Sparrow's love of rum?

"Why is the rum gone?"

Because it's only E10+, Jack ?