The International Age Rating Coalition is an establishment aimed at streamlining acquisition of content ratings from authorities of different countries. Introduced in 2013, the IARC system simplifies the process of obtaining ratings by developers, through the use of questionnaires, which assess the content of the product. This new process reduces the costs of video game developers as they seek to obtain ratings for their products that are distributed digitally online.
The effort was created through a coalition of rating authorities from around the world, including ESRB in North America, PEGI in Europe, USK in Germany, ClassInd in Brazil, and the Australian Classification Board, and first announced at the 2013 London Games Conference. In August 2014, the Australian Classification Board introduced amendments to allow for the automated classification process employed by the IARC.