PEGI S.A., the organization that manages the pan-European age rating system for video games, today announced that PEGI Express, a new rating process specifically designed for mobile platforms, is now available for games for the Windows Phone Platform.

Games rated via PEGI Express will display the familiar age rating icons that video games on consoles and PC are already using, so consumers can easily recognize and understand the ratings. PEGI Express is not a different rating system - it uses the same criteria as ratings for console games and verification will be handled by PEGI administrator NICAM - but it is a new process built specifically to deal with the surge of mobile games.

Developers will be able to access the PEGI Express tool directly through the Windows Phone platform as an integral part of the app submission process. Submitting a game requires a very short time: games with barely or no content that can be inappropriate for children of a certain age are classed at once. Only as the amount and diversity of potentially inappropriate content increases, more questions need to be answered.

The move has been applauded by Microsoft with Chris Lewis, VP IEB, Microsoft EMEA saying, "PEGI continues to play a crucial role in the interactive entertainment sector. As a founding member of PEGI, Microsoft continues its strong commitment to safe entertainment by working together with PEGI to help developers rate their games quickly and effectively."

"We are very pleased to have Microsoft as a committed partner and we are delighted that the Windows Phone Platform is the first to feature this new technology", commented Simon Little, Managing Director of PEGI S.A. "PEGI Express fills a clear need for a system to classify mobile game content so that informed decisions can be made by parents.

For more on PEGI Express visit: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/1068/nid/36