Pornography laws end Dead or Alive’s Swedish release

Nintendo has decided to scrap plans to release Tecmo Koei’s 3DS brawler Dead or Alive: Dimensions in Sweden.

Though the company hasn’t expressly admitted it, it is believed that the decision came following concerns that the title could contravene the country’s child pornography laws owing to its depiction of young female fighters.

"Nintendo has taken the decision not to distribute the Dead or Alive: Dimensions Nintendo 3DS game in Sweden (at the present time)," a spokesperson confirmed to MCV.

"As with all games, Nintendo evaluated a number of different factors and decided on this occasion the market conditions in Sweden are not suited for the game, which is developed by Tecmo Koei and distributed by Nintendo."

News of the decision emerged late last week when Voodoo Extreme reported that GAME and GameStop customers in Sweden had been told that their pre-orders would not be honoured.

It is alleged that distributor Bergsala forced the move after advice from police. The subject is particularly sensitive in Sweden right now after a Swedish manga artist was recently prosecuted for drawing explicit pictures of young girls.