No need to wait until 11pm anymore

It seems that the restriction on 18+ content on the Nintendo Wii U eShop — and 3DS eShop, it should be noted — has finally been lifted. Games rated PEGI 18 (USK 18 in Germany) were only accessible during certain hours each day, from 11pm in some European countries until 3am — only giving four hours each day to view details and purchase 18+ titles such as ZombiU. This seemed unfair to a majority of adult gamers who would have no need for Parental Controls, but had to wait regardless.

As Nintendo of Europe's headquarters is based in Germany, this meant it was following a prospective German law - which aims to restrict mature content to certain hours in a day.

Upon lifting the ban, Nintendo is encouraging parents to make full use of the Parental Controls, to avoid young children viewing mature content at any stage during the day. Below is the message that's been posted in the "News" section of the Wii U eShop.

Dear Customer,

Nintendo has lifted the access restrictions to 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.

Nintendo eShop Team

Has this restriction affected you in the past, and will its removal encourage to check out 18-rated games and their DLC more regularly? Let us know in the comments below.

[source thenintendochannel.com]