Dead Island banned in Germany

Dead Island

Dead Island has been well and truly banned in Germany. Developers Techland join everyone else in expressing their lack of surprise at the decision. "This isn't unexpected," they told Eurogamer . "Germany has its unique regulations regarding video games and violence and the industry can only comply."

Turning the blood green won't help them with this one. Dead Island has been put on "List B" by Germany's Federal Department of Media Harmful to Young Persons. It's a list reserved for media that contains extreme torture or Nazi content. It's probably best not to think about what gets onto "List A."

"Both Deep Silver and Techland were aware of such a possibility from the very beginning," say the publisher. The reasons for the ban haven't been revealed publicly, but it's likely something to do with Dead Island's vast amounts of gore and dismemberment.

A place on List B makes it illegal for stores to sell the game in Germany and shipments heading into the country risk being seized at customs. In other news, the " Bloodbath " DLC for Dead Island is out now, adding infinite waves of splattery zombies and a weapon called "the brain wave bomb." Cartoon violence FTW!

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.