No Gears of War release for Germany

Forthcoming Xbox 360 title Gears of War will not be released in Germany after Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, the German ratings board, declined to rate the game.

The news will come as a blow to Microsoft as GOW is considered a key title this Christmas season and Germany is of course a key market.

Plus, it's not the first time this year that the territory has missed out on a 360 title - back in July, the USK also declined to rate zombie shooter Dead Rising.

Microsoft told our sister site, Eurogamer.de, that it has accepted the USK's decision regarding Gears of War and will not be publishing the game in the region.

That's because it feels that the changes it would need to make to satisfy the requirements for a rating would rob the game of a lot of important features, and make it difficult to guarantee compatibility with other international versions on Xbox Live.

Gears of War is due out in the UK on November 17.