A portion of a Gamasutra interview with the ESRB's Patricia Vance...

GS: Tell me what's new with the ESRB.

Patricia Vance: Well, we are evolving the process in the system to address digitally delivered games and content in general. A year ago we launched a new process that was more scalable and lower cost for console download games - on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, and WiiWare - and that process has been working really well for us. So we've taken elements of that process, which is a form; it's a multiple choice questionnaire that is programmed to calculate ratings, and using that for mobile apps.

So we announced last November an agreement with the CTIA, which is a wireless trade association, to create a ratings system for mobile apps, and we have six initial participating storefronts that will be rolling out the system this year - Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Microsoft Windows Phone. And we are now also developing global solutions with other rating bodies around the world, again, to make it very easy for developers in storefronts to have a one stop solution to obtain, so you don't have to repeatedly submit to different rating bodies around the world. One stop solution to obtain a rating that is appropriate for each territory, because there's no universal cultural norm around the world.