14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, who is set to go on sale worldwide on July 27, has been reclassified as being an Age 12 videogame, which means that the real time strategy sequel might reach a wider audience. Initially, the Korea ratings board gave the game an Age 18 rating, because of the content it offered. It seems that the new build Blizzard submitted has all the blood in the game colored black, not red, removes all the vulgar language used by various characters and took out all the acts and talk linked with smoking.
A translation made by Team Liquid shows Blizzard reacting to the decision from the Games Rating Board by saying, “Since StarCraft 2 was originally developed to be a game adolescents could enjoy, we're very pleased with the Game Rating Board's decision. In the remaining time until StarCraft 2 goes on sale, we'll do our best to continue to perfect the game so that even more fans can enjoy it.”
Apparently, Blizzard is also thinking about putting out two versions of Starcraft II in South Korea, with one set for the mass market and another targeted at more hardcore fans who want the experience as the developers initially intended it. Starcraft, which is seen in South Korea as something of a national sport, has been rocked by a scandal recently, linked to 11 players who seem to have thrown matches in exchange for money.
The scandal, linked with the decision by Blizzard to no longer collaborate with the sports league which organizes Starcraft championships, suggests that the launch of Starcraft II is highly divisive among the player base. It will be interesting to see how veterans of the first videogame in the series receive the sequel and whether it will ever reach the same popularity in multiplayer clashes.