Japanese video games ratings board Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) had to suspend its business last month due to stay-at-home orders by the Japanese government. At the time, the organization stated that the suspension would be in effect till May 6, and recently, they posted an update on their website stating that they will be resuming business once again starting May 7, two days from now.
CERO has stated in its update that it will be limiting business hours to avoid commuting during peak traffic hours, while they also state that they’ve taken measures to ensure that they can effectively conduct their work from home should they need to.
Certifications from rating agencies is an important part of the process for every game before it sees a release, and a complete suspension of activities by CERO would have affected video game releases in Japan. Developers will no doubt be relieved to hear that the organization is ready to resume its work.
Following CERO’s announcement of suspension of business last month, European ratings board PEGI and North America’s ESRB talked about how, due to “a good deal of advanced planning” and being able to do remote work effectively, they had not suffered any issues with their work. Read more on that through here.