id Software’s Doom and its sequels were among the first games to fall afoul of Germany’s strict censorship laws that prohibited the depiction of graphic violence in video games. The series was subject to a lot of controversy in the mid to late ’90s and early 2000’s, alongside titles in the Grand Theft Auto series.
The Doom games were restricted from sale in Germany in their uncensored form due to indexing by the country’s media censorship organization. The games were effectively banned from sale. Even as recently as 2007, other first-person shooters like Team Fortress 2 were subject to heavy restrictions in Germany, forcing the developers to replace blood and gore with mechanical parts.
Bethesda has announced today that the upcoming Doom reboot, slated for release this May, will not be subject to the same censorship as any previous first-person shooter released in Germany. The game will not see any cuts for content or any other restrictions and will be released in its complete, uncensored form.
“We’re pleased the game can be released in its entirety in Germany without the need to edit or change anything,” Bethesda’s Pete Hines said in a statement to Polygon. “Perhaps not all that surprising given how other titles have been rated there recently, but still a cool thing to see given that Doom and Doom 2 were banned in Germany and were delisted a few years ago.”
A few days ago, Bethesda revealed that Fallout 3 was being delisted from the restricted list, leading speculation that the game would be re-released on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Doom is set for release on May 13. Pre-orders on the Xbox One will include free copies of the classic Doom and Doom 2. Gamestop pre-orders will also include a double-sided poster. New multiplayer modes have also been announced for the game.
