According to ShackNews, a PR rep has stated that Blizzard is actively appealing the decision and has already submitted a new version of the game to the Korean Game Ratings Board. Apparently, the StarCraft II build the board had was an older version – one that made it easy for them to decide the “level of violence, foul language, and depiction of drug use” was too extreme for the under-18 crowd.
What does seem odd though, is that an even earlier build of StarCraft II was submitted to the board last year and easily scored a rating that would let teens as young as 15 play it and subsequently school our American asses. So either Blizzard went back and added a lot of scenes of a Protoss cursing and a Zerg shooting up, or the speculation that KeSPA (Korean e-Sports Players Association) might have somehow influenced the rating decision to push back the release of StarCraft II might not be so far-fetched, after all.
As for why KeSPA, which already reigns over competitions in StarCraft: Brood War in South Korea, would stand between its players and a new game, the answer is simple: royalties. KeSPA and its broadcasting partners haven’t always been accommodating when it comes to ponying up more cash to Blizzard, and even less tolerant of KeSPA teams crossing the line and appearing in Blizzard-sponsored matches.
Source: ShackNews
