Doom ban lifted in Germany

Last week, the iOS version of Wolfenstein 3D was pulled from Apple's Swiss and Austrian App Stores due to its depictions of swastikas. This week brings more restriction news for a seminal first-person shooter from id Software, as German regulators have lifted the 17-year-long ban on Doom and Doom II following an appeal to the ratings board.

Bethesda announced the news on its blog and said it was working to make both games widely available in the country. At the same time, the company confirmed that next month's open-world action game Rage had been approved for release in Germany with no cuts made.

According to a BBC News report, the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (Bundesprufstelle) removed Doom from the list of banned titles because it has become "mainly of historical interest" and less likely to be played by children.

However, the panel hearing the appeal was not unanimous in wanting the ban lifted, as some members voted to leave the ban in place. Additionally, the North American version of Doom II remains on the banned list, as it includes levels from Wolfenstein 3D that feature swastikas.