Wednesday, May 29, 2024

All First Party Nintendo Games will not have a Rating on Covers in South East Asia from 2024 onwards

Ever since I had gotten my Nintendo Switch it has been an adventure of playing games, and collecting physical edition of games. Being in Singapore, we usually get the MSE version of the physical games, which is the same looking as the US version. There are some games which are the EU version as well, but overall we get quite a few variety. 


Prior to 2024, first party games were released with the region code MSE. The physical games have an ESRB rating on the front cover of the box, and on the back there is an “Middle East/Southeast Asia/Official Product” logo, and the same Nintendo of America barcode as the respective product sold in the states. Inside the packaging is a USA region Game Card.


But starting this year in 2024, all first party Nintendo physical games in Southeast Asia will no longer have an ESRB age rating on the box. That would mean that games from this region will be the first in the world to have clean covers for first party titles. That is… with the exception of titles such as those from the Bayonetta series that will most likely have an IMDA 18+ age rating printed on the cover. 


The new ratingless versions will retain the MSE region code, “Official Product” logo, and have a unique Nintendo Co, Ltd (Japan) barcode. Inside the packaging, the USA region Game Card is expected to be replaced by a MSE region Game Card. Although the region of the Game Card is different, there are no differences to the software itself; all first party games work the same way regardless of its Game Card region.


This brings a new opportunity for those who wish to collect clean covers, aka covers with no age rating, of first party Nintendo games, which has never been possible for titles before 2024.


For my first game of 2024, Princess Peach: Show Time!, the cover is nice and clean. The game card however is still the US version and not MSE. But a cleaner cover looks nicer, doesn’t it? 😆





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