Windows Store accepting PEGI 18 games today

After announcing initially that the Microsoft Windows Store would not be accepting games with mature content, it has today announced it will begin accepting PEGI 18 rated games.

Polygon reports, saying that Windows Store guidelines in October stated that games and apps with a rating over PEGI 16 wouldn't meet certification requirements for the store, and therefor excluding them from being released on the Windows market place.

In Europe this meant that games such as Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, Deus Ex and The Walking Dead would not be made available on the store. Guidelines were changed later that month to accept "mature" content for the Windows 8 Marketplace. Today is the first day PEGI 18 games can be submitted to the store.

The Witcher 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4 have been announced by Microsoft as coming to the platform soon.

In a blog post, the director of program management for the Windows Store, Ted Dworkin said. "In welcoming PEGI 18 games into the Store, we again reinforce two principles — flexibility and confidence —fundamental to the Windows Store. We recognize that people have come to expect and appreciate rich gaming experiences on Windows and this includes games rated PEGI 18. We also want to ensure that every customer using the Store can browser and acquire apps with confidence."

This follows the announcement in October that the restrictions would be relaxed.