Conan to be censored in Germany, not US

Funcom, developer of the upcoming Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, has acknowledged that the MMO will be censored in Germany.

In a forum post, community manager Shannon Drake initially reported that the game would be censored in both the US and in Germany. The M-rated US version would nix topless female nudity, while the 18+ rated German version would eliminate decapitation, dismemberment, and over-the-top fatalities.

Drake noted that this was a legal requirement, rather than a design decision that could be reversed, despite the fact that M-rated games such as BMX XXX, The Guy Game, God of War and Leisure Suit Larry have previously been released in the US with topless female nudity.

Subsequently, Drake corrected the post and revealed that the US version was submitted to the ESRB and given an M-rating without any server-side censorship. It will therefore feature full blood, full fatalities and breasts with nipples.

The "elsewhere in Europe" version, rated 18+ by PEGI, remains unchanged.

The PC version of Age of Conan is scheduled for a May release in the US, with the Xbox 360 version to follow later in the year.