Dead or Alive: Release Cancelled

It has been reported that the release of Tecmo's Dead or Alive in Sweden, Norway and Denmark has been cancelled. Publisher Nintendo and distributor Bergsala decided not to release the game over the perceived fear that its depiction of young female fighters may offend Swedish child pornography laws.

Under Swedish law, any image, regardless of medium, that depicts children under the age of 18 in a pornographic context constitutes child pornography, regardless of how realistic or abstract the images are.

It has been reported that the game's Figure Mode, which allows players to pose and photograph characters from any angle, may infringe Swedish law given that some of the female characters are under the age of 18.

Nintendo of Europe issued the following statement:
"Nintendo of Europe have decided not to release the game in Sweden, for various reasons. However, they do not wish to list any details regarding their decision. We are sorry for how this impacts the Swedish fans of Dead or Alive. Thankfully, it's extremely unusual that these things happen".

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