Techland not shocked by Germany's Dead Island ban

By Robert Purchese Published 29 November, 2011

"Germany has its unique regulations."

Dead Island has been banned from sale in Germany.

"This isn't unexpected," developer Techland told Eurogamer. "Germany has its unique regulations regarding video games and violence and the industry can only comply.

"Both Deep Silver and Techland were aware of such a possibility from the very beginning."

Germany's Federal Department of Media Harmful to Young Persons (the BPJM) classified Dead Island as "List B".

"List B" contains the names of "youth-endangering media". Media on "List B" cannot be sold anywhere in Germany, and anyone caught doing so is punishable by law.

GamesIndustry.biz Germany tells us "List B" is usually reserved for media depicting extreme torture or Nazi content.

Being on "List B" means that importing retailers Play.com, Amazon.de and Gameware.at run the risk of cargo being seized at German customs.

The BPJM didn't explain why Dead Island was banned, which is common practice. Game publisher Koch Media will have been given a detailed report.

Publisher Koch Media (owner of Deep Silver) avoided German law by distributing the game in Austria.

"We did not distribute or sell Dead Island in Germany", Koch Media told GamesIndustry.biz Germany. "The intention was to bring the game to the international markets, as the product seems to be better suitable for audiences abroad."

Despite bugs, despite controversy, Despite unremarkable review scores, Dead Island was a big hit this summer.

"Much like gnawing on human flesh," wrote Dan Whitehead in Eurogamer's Dead Island review, "Dead Island's clumsy horror-action role-player is the definition of an acquired taste."

The long-awaited Bloodbath Arena DLC for Dead Island was released this month, along with a substantial bug-fixing patch. Eurogamer's Dead Island: Bloodbath Arena review has the verdict.

Eurogamer plays and talks about Dead Island.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • callum9999 #1 6 months ago

    It does sound extreme - but I think it's pretty obvious why they are so sensitive on this issue. I would have thought it would have started easing a bit by now though - obviously not on the Nazi front, but just general gaming violence.

  • SikoSoft #2 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:52 12-12-2011

  • Liquidoodle #3 6 months ago

    Shame for the Germans, they are missing out on a great game which actually needs the gore it contains, it's an integral part of the game and seriously good fun! I do feel sorry for them and the Australians, hope something is done about it.

  • M1chl #4 6 months ago

    Deep Silver is from Germany, am I right? So german publisher, publish game in whole world except Germany. Crazy world...

  • Fruit-Salad #5 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 01:35:51 08-02-2012

  • ozthegweat #6 6 months ago

    @SikoSoft From the article: "The BPJM didn't explain why Dead Island was banned"

    It's quite difficult to include the reason for the ban in the article when it's not known why it was banned ;)

  • DrStrangelove #7 6 months ago

    @SikoSoft

    It says in the article: "The BPJM didn't explain why Dead Island was banned, which is common practice."

    But to be brutally honest, the answer is: Germany bans everything.

  • rashes #8 6 months ago

    I guess Germans just import these games from countries next door to them in the EU? Also doesn't "Department of Media Harmful to Young Persons" sound a little Orwellian ?

  • frankpettersen #9 6 months ago

    @Fruit-Salad
    The banning is regarding nazi content used in political publications, entertainment and such usage. The swastika is a good example; It's banned in movies, publications, games and so on. However, it's still allowed in say, school history books about ww2.

  • ozthegweat #10 6 months ago

    @frankpettersen & Fruit-Salad: AFAIK the depiction of the Swastika (the Nazi symbol) is forbidden, irrespective of the intended use. I remember a case where a group organizing an anti-Nazi demostration was punished because they wore a t-shirt with a crossed-out Nazi symbol. So I guess even the teaching material would not contain the Swastika?

  • frankpettersen #11 6 months ago

    As for why Dead island was banned, it's likely to the high amount of gore. Usually, developers either colour the blood green or remove it from the game in order to pass the restrictions

  • frankpettersen #12 6 months ago

    @ozthegweat Well, a group having an anti-nazi demonstration is political, isn't it :-)

  • -cerberus- #13 6 months ago

    The German government are still being a bunch of nazis.:rolleyes:

  • s3kShUn8 #14 6 months ago

    Oh sure, because its not like the money funding "Germany's Federal Department of Media Harmful to Young Persons" could be put towards fighting something worse. Like say, the increasing Neo-Nazi problem. But sure, lets ignore that and focus on banning video games.

  • DrStrangelove #15 6 months ago

    @Fruit-Salad

    Display of nazi content is allowed for educational purposes, or in news etc. Also in history fiction, although that's a complicated matter. There are historic action and comedy films that were allowed the display of nazi symbols, but Wolfenstein was banned.

    For some time, I told everyone that German censors (or Jugendschutz-SS, as I like to call them) are Hitlers minions still wearing the swastika armband under their suits (I know, an interesting claim considering my avatar), but their trouble with nazi stuff suggests otherwise.

    Turns out they're actually remains of the Stasi, the former East German totalitarian supervision service, having portraits of Stalin at their homes and teaching their children to build walls around Lego towns.

  • Toothball #16 6 months ago

    My main beef with the German ratings system these days is that their stickers are huge compared to the BBFC or PEGI. Most notable recently on Skyward Sword, where the otherwise golden finish is marred by a large green section in the corner.

  • DrStrangelove #17 6 months ago

    @rashes

    I actually order from amazon UK, also because it's cheaper and to make sure I can play in English, not in an embarrassing translated version.

    And 1984 seems too liberal for German censors.

  • Fruit-Salad #18 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 01:35:51 08-02-2012

  • ozthegweat #19 6 months ago

    @Toothball: It's also mandatory to put the rating box on the front of the box, for movies too. So you have a beautiful front cover with a horrible 5x4cm rectangle. That's why a lot of movies come with a so-called "Wendecover", roughly translated to "turnable cover". The case of the movie disc is transparent, and the actual cover is just an inlay made of paper, which you can take out, turn around and put it back in. The backside of the cover looks exactly like the front, but without the rating box.

    @ frankpettersen: You're right, at first I only made the "Nazi symbol for political use" = "Neo-Nazis" connection :-)

  • Baranga #20 6 months ago

    A game intended and rated for mature audiences is banned because it's youth-endangering. I'm not sure why ze German authorities don't allow their adults to make their own entertainment choices.

  • Toothball #21 6 months ago

    @ozthegweat

    I've seen plenty of reversible covers over the years for special editions. It's almost a shame that they need to be used for something like this, but it's very considerate of the distributors to think of that.

  • cowell #22 6 months ago

    Selling ridiculously well in Austria! ;)

  • King_of_Hyrule #23 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:52 12-12-2011

  • kickerconspiracy #24 6 months ago

    I can't wait for some dev from Bethesda to start moaning about Germans pirating games to get an uncensored version, keeping money from their coffers.
    Edited by kickerconspiracy at 29/11/11 @ 17:09

  • NewbieZilla #25 6 months ago

    For a long time, the two worst places for gamers were Germany and Australia. Australia now has, or will be getting soon an R18+ classification, so Germany is on its own.

  • UkHardcore23 #26 6 months ago

    "Why is Germany wrapped in cotton wool?"

    So they dont get giddy and want to start taking over the world.

  • Paul_cz #27 6 months ago

    Retarded censorship is retarded.

  • Herze #28 6 months ago

    @frankpettersen
    Wrong. The swastika is allowed in movies and other kinds of art and historical content, if does not glorify the National Socialism or the Third Reich. But legaly video games are not considered as art in germany.

  • ProfDrMorph #29 6 months ago

    If something is on the BPJM's list B doesn't mean it's banned from sale. It only means that the BPJM thinks it should be. But unless a court decides that the sale should be banned it isn't. The only thing the BPJM can do is put restrictions on how the game may be promoted (basically not at all) and how it may be sold (in a way that makes sure minors can't even learn about the existence of the game). But technically it might still be sold, just not in a way that makes it economically feasible to release it here in Germany.

    BTW there are some games which may not be sold in Germany, but a court/judge decided to ban those. And even in those cases it's perfectly legal to buy them privately (outside of Germany of course) and to possess them. Examples are Left 4 Dead 2 or Manhunt.

    Those restrictions/bans are almost always due to violence. Nazi symbols etc. get removed anyway. And btw: even though our law prohibits their usage almost any circumstance there are a few exceptions, e.g. in education or in art. Yes, that even includes the Indiana Jones movies... (don't get me wrong, I love them but they aren't art, they're entertainment).

  • ProfDrMorph #30 6 months ago

    @NewbieZilla I think it will still take some time before the Australians get the same versions as almost everybody else but yes, they're moving into the right direction. And I also hear that the Japanese sometimes censor stuff (e.g. chainsaw kills in Gears of War). Weird considering their anime culture...

  • megabeanz #31 6 months ago

    @Fruit-Salad Germany teaches all about the Second World war and the horrors committed. Its a peaceful country that wants to remain at peace and do the right thing in the world today. So stop being a prick.

  • man.the.king #32 6 months ago

    @frankpettersen

    The Nazis hijacked and mutilated the Swastika symbol for their own (reprehensible) purposes.

    In truth, the Swastika has a long and glorious religious history - thousands of years old - as a symbol of good luck.

  • digitalash #33 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:52 12-12-2011

  • Lunatic4ever #34 6 months ago

    Since I'm living in Germany I can tell you guys how badly it sucks to be treated like a kid who doesn't know whats good for him. Sick and tired of it,really.

  • AOFanboi #35 6 months ago

    @NewbieZilla, Germany also has an "Freigeben ab 18 Jahren" certification, complete with red-color hard plastic casing (16+ games are in yellow casing). They still ban games, though.

  • Rybo1314 #36 6 months ago

    maybe its just a coincidence that Germany banned Dead Island made by Techland who are based in Poland......WW3 anybody? lol

  • Trent_Steel #37 6 months ago

    Good news for the Germans as far as I'm concerned. The fewer people that can buy dross like Dead Island the better. Pure, unadulterated bargain bin fodder.

  • Aphexman #38 6 months ago

    Ordnung muss sein!

  • Marshall2008 #39 6 months ago

    They should have replaced the gore with big tits, hairy fannies and floppy cocks. Would have got passed no problem.

  • zuul #40 6 months ago

    It's pretty unusual these days for games being banned for violence. The last game I can remember was Manhunt, and that's been some years. Normally they just don't get a rating, or a 18+ rating.

    In Dead Island's case, the reason might be that the game sets its focus on melee violence. Back in the Doom days, the chainsaw was mentioned as a major reason to index Doom. Apparently the folks judging the game do differentiate between shooting and melee. Some kind of weird "direct contact" and "no contact" violence... /shrug

    Also, at least in the past, the BPJS doesn't go active on their own. It usually takes a complaint/petition from someone about a game for them to look into it.

  • Machetazo #41 6 months ago

    At l(e)ast they don't object as much to Quake, anymore. :)