Capcom abandons Gamescom amid game-ban fallout

One of the most important events in the gaming calendar was dealt another blow today with publishing giant Capcom declining the chance to exhibit there.

And an official statement by Capcom shows that its absence from Gamescom is in part due to a controversial ban on action/horror title Dead Rising.

Capcom’s decision to skip Gamescom also comes after rival publisher Sega announced it won’t be attending the Cologne-based event.

While Sega’s decision to skip Gamescom was ‘commercial’, Capcom’s appears to have a political element.

As a statement on Capcom’s blog explains: “Right now we have confirmed two titles for release between August and the end of the year – Dead Rising 2 and Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes.

“As you are probably aware the first Dead Rising was banned in Germany and – as we are still awaiting a verdict from the USK for Dead Rising 2 – it would be remiss of us to promote the sequel to consumers in Germany.”

Capcom measured its statement with an element of general praise for the event, saying that GamesCom “allows publishers and developers an excellent opportunity to promote their titles to both consumers and media”.