As Bethesda fans prepare for the upcoming "Fallout 4 DLC" which is slated to be released in March along with a Season Pass price increase, the Fallout 3 ban that gamers in Germany had to endure for years has been lifted, allowing them to enjoy the game in its original, uncensored version.
Released in 2008, "Fallout 3" was received with critical acclaim, much like two of Bethesda's other series, "Doom" and "TES." However, while it flourished in most of the world, it got banned in Germany in 2009 due to its violent content, reported VG 24/7. A censored version of "Fallout 3" was released in the original's place, but now, seven years later, Bethesda has gotten the original, uncensored version de-listed.
To get the uncensored version de-listed and into the hands of German players, Bethesda had to appeal to the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Minors.
"In the case of Fallout 3 the request for de-listing was granted even though only seven years passed since the game was banned," the BPjM said in a statement, according to Gamespot News. "The Big Council decided at its meeting on February 4 that Fallout 3 will be removed from the list because its content is no longer classified as harmful to minors from today's perspective."
This is reportedly a difficult and expensive process that includes 12 groups of German organizations involved in the decision making. With that in mind, it seems like a pointless venture for Bethesda to undertake considering that the 10-year statutory sentence was close to its expiration date and both "Fallout 4" and "Fallout: New Vegas Game of the Year Edition" had already been released uncensored in Germany. However, this development opens the possibility of the release of an HD version of "Fallout 3," similar to the definitive edition of "Dishonored" that came out in August of last year.
This isn't the first time Bethesda has had its games censored or banned due to violent or racy content. The German version of "Wolfenstein: The New Order" has the Nazis renamed to "The Regime" and no swastikas are shown. Similarly, "Doom" and "Doom II" were banned until 2011 after Bethesda filed a similar appeal.
