Bethesda Appeal Earns German Rating For Doom, Doom II

After over a decade being listed as part of an index of heavily restricted games, Doom and its sequel have received a 16+ rating from German authorities, thanks to an appeal by current rights-holder ZeniMax Media. A post on Bethesda's official blog confirms that Germany's Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons has de-listed the game, allowing Bethesda to publish an uncut version of the games in the country on October 7. The Doom games' previous listing on Germany's official index of works harmful to minors meant the titles could not be legally sold, displayed or advertised to minors in the country, with further restrictions on the method of sale and rental even to adults. Other games that have been listed on the index include games in id's Quake and Wolfenstein 3D franchises, as well as those in the Manhunt, Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, House of the Dead and Command and Conquer franchises, among many others. Germany's Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle ratings board recently gave an 18 rating to the upcoming Gears of War 3, a first for the franchise that saw its first two titles indexed by the German authorities. Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media acquired Doom creator id Software in 2009.