German EA Boss Calls Out USK

The head of EA in Germany has spoken out against the country’s rating system, calling it ‘censorship’.

Gerhard Florin, head of EA’s Germany branch, has attacked the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, or USK, calling its ratings ‘censorship’. “When we talk about games here it’s about violence or their alleged addictiveness, and not about their cultural status. The few good studios are asking themselves why they should stay here anyway,” he said, “what we’re doing here is censorship, and no one complains. “

The USK is notoriously tough on violent games and titles like Ninja Gaiden and Gears of War 2 have failed to secure a German release. Florin thinks that the country should abandon the USK and adopt the PEGI rating system, although this idea has met with some resistance from Marek Brunner, head of the USK.

“It’s hard when half-truths are being used,” said Brunner. “They say the USK does this wrong, the USK does that bad and why doesn’t this get a rating?” Brunner said that the BPjM – the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons – is partially to blame, and laments that people rarely take the agency into account when bashing the USK.

Source: Eurogamer