The Blue Archive franchise comes from a mobile gacha game by Nexon. It was initially released back in 2021. It’s massively popular, with multiple anime adaptations about our favorite gun-wielding waifus. Its revenue is ¥124 billion ($915 million), up 36% year-on-year, and its net income is ¥53.3 billion ($393 million), up 33% year-on-year. It has pretty girls shooting rifles while wearing cute outfits, so expectedly it will be popular.
Let’s discuss what happens when a government regulatory body with skeletons to hide comes against a passionate fanbase.
GRAC Crosses the Wrong Fans
The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC) is the rating board of South Korea, which is similar to the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) in the USA. Blue Archive is being developed there, so GRAC would have a say. Well, they called it wrongly and gave the gacha game an 18+ rating, leading to over 5,000 fans petitioning for the government to audit the GRAC.
GRAC has long been criticized for being heavy-handed with censorship. The Blue Archive fans pounced on this wildly unpopular committee for restricting their favorite mobile game. They accidentally exposed years of corruption and criminal activities.
File Charges NAO
The National Audit Office (NAO) was prompted to investigate the GRAC. Their investigation uncovered numerous instances of illegal activities carried out by GRAC. They embezzled money to mine Bitcoin, for example. They mishandled their own jobs and falsified or exaggerated their own explanatory documents. The committee also made it seem like they were doing more than they actually were via an internal progress management system. There was also an allegation that they were investigating uses for the blockchain and investigating a “pay to earn” scheme. When these failed, they laundered the money elsewhere.
This not only explains their lackluster work but also explains the mislabeling of video games. The fans were vindicated, and the GRAC was in trouble. The NAO encouraged the Minister of the Interior and Safety to hold these criminals accountable soon. There was also meant to be a supervisory company to actually, you know, supervise things. The NAO urged that this company also be held accountable. They also called for a suspension of business operations, effectively halting the GRAC’s activities.
GRAC Finds out
Rep. Lee Sang-heon, who initiated the audit request, considered these findings for his mission to overhaul the entirety of the GRAC. The calls for accountability and reformation will not go unheeded. He aims to create an effective video game rating board having the public’s trust. These actions can potentially affect other relevant organizations, leading to a better system for gamers in South Korea.
The Blue Archive fans have effectively put corrupt gaming organizations on notice. Reformation is coming.
Blue Archive Fans Triumph over Corruption
A long-standing and seemingly unmovable government-sanctioned organization was toppled by a group of gamers over 5,000 strong. Rating Blue Archive at 18+ brought down the GRAC. They ticked off the wrong people and learned why you shouldn’t cast stones while living in glass houses.
Blue Archive and Fate Grand/Order were previously rated at 15, which allowed the companies to advertise their games. The new 18+ rating prevents advertisements and younger gamers from playing them. It should be noted that there was some censorship in the global release of Blue Archive, but this was addressed with the addition of a second version.
There’s no word yet on if or when Blue Archive and Fate Grand/Order will see their ratings changed back, but given that the rating board was just toppled, there’s a good chance of it.
If you want to celebrate with a Blue Archive waifu, the J-List shop has you covered. The Kakudate Karin 1/7 Figure from the Blue Archive section is now available for pre-order.
What do you make of this frankly hilarious situation? Does this prove once and for all that gamers should never be crossed? Are you a Sensei in Blue Archive? Let us know in the comments below.
