Yesterday, there was a report that Dead Space would be banned in Germany, Japan, and China (link). Game Politics doesn't believe that there is a ban in those countries, for a number of convincing reasons (i.e. EA didn't say anything about it, EA might not even distribute games to China out of piracy concerns, etc).

Yesterday we mentioned a Destructoid report which said that EA's upcoming space-horror-survival title Dead Space had been banned in Germany, Japan and China. Destructoid sourced the info to "Dead Space community manager Andrew Green."

Right away, the story didn't pass our smell test:

Germany, perhaps. They've been tough on game violence of late. But Japan? The home of Resident Evil?

Does EA even distribute console games in China (due to piracy concerns)?

No announcements from the individual censorship bodies of the three nations?

All three bans come in simultaneously?

Also of note, Australia's notoriously censorious OFLC cleared Dead Space with MA15+

And the BBFC, which banned Manhunt 2 in the U.K., cleared Dead Space with 18

No official press release from EA on the alleged bans?

GP immediately contacted EA, with distinctly unsatisfactory results. The top PR dog didn't respond to our e-mail. Later in the day we tracked down the EA guy who is handling Dead Space PR, and put the question to him in two e-mails and a live phone call. Never got an answer one way or the other. EA doesn't know if one of their high profile titles managed to get banned in three countries? Sorry, not buying that. Or, they know but aren't saying? Unacceptable.

Twisted via gamepolitics.com »