Here's Why South Korea is Leaking Video Game Announcements

If I had a nickel for every time the Korean ratings board accidentally leaked an unannounced game, I actually might be able to purchase that brand new 25th Anniversary Xbox. It happens far more than you may realize.

In the past twelve months alone, we've seen leaks from Lego Skylines, Sonic Frontiers Definitive Edition, a Black Ops 1 and 2 remaster, and perhaps most notably, Persona 4 Revival, are just a handful of the games spoiled by premature announcements.

To make matters worse, some of these games haven't officially been announced yet. Summer Game Fest has come and gone, and some of these games weren't announced as expected. It's possible that some of these games weren't just ready for primetime yet. They could also be planned for a surprise shadow drop. Regardless, the secret's out on what was supposed to be a surprise announcement.

It begs the question: how exactly does this keep happening? You'd think that any type of ratings board approval would come with an NDA or confidential agreement. It turns out, though, that isn't the case.

South Korean Law Explains Why Games Are Leaked Through Its Ratings Board

Recently, GameMeca performed an investigation into this very topic. A representative of South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) said that the publication of ratings is a legitimate procedure carried out in a way that complies with South Korean law.

They also gave an official statement: "This electronic gazette is a legitimate procedure in accordance with Article 24 of the current Act on the Promotion of the Game Industry."

The Promotion of the Game Industry Act is meant to "contribute to the development of the national economy and the improvement of the quality of the cultural life of the people through the promotion of the game industry and the establishment of a healthy game culture of the people by creating a foundation for the game industry and providing for matters concerning the use of game products." Article 24 references specifically rating decisions "rendered by an agency that has been trusted with the rating classification."

It's a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, yes, but in short, the gist is that the Act promotes the growth of the gaming industry, and Article 24 addresses the ratings industry. It's also important to note that the GRAC is legally obligated to make their ratings public. Therefore, regardless of whether or not a game is officially announced, the GRAC must announce a game's rating.

There May Not Be a Solution To This

If South Korea is legally obligated to announce a game's rating, then there's no real way to address this issue without changing the law. I'm not up on South Korea's legislative process, but I have to imagine there isn't an easy fix here.

For better or worse, leaks have become incredibly common in the industry today. There were a lot of surprises this past week at Summer Game Fest. At the same time, however, you can't help but wonder how much better the week would have been if we didn't already know what was coming.

Of course, not every gaming leak is true. Sure, these ten infamous leaks were, but more often than not, leaks are just internet rumors run amok. Not everything you see on social media or, even worse, 4Chan, is true.

Having said that, if you see a country's ratings board release a game rating, then chances are that it's indeed real. This isn't a problem just with South Korea; we've seen ESRB ratings leak out ahead of a game's release, but that generally instead means a game is about to release.