Austria and Switzerland have both pulled the game from sale, although it remains available in other territories.

A tweet from id Software’s John Carmack suggests problematic in-game imagery is at the root of the trouble:

“The iOS App Stores in Switzerland and Austria just lost Wolfenstein Classic due to the offensive swastikas,” he said.

Wolfenstein Classic is the iDevice port of Wolfenstein 3D, one of the earliest first-person shooters, which sees players storming a Nazi stronghold. Id Software famously built on the game’s success with Doom and Quake, both seminal titles in a genre which now dominates the industry.

Thanks, GameInformer.

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Switzerland’s National Council has passed a resolution proposed by the Social Democrat party calling for a complete ban of violent and adult-themed videogames.

This will start the process of designing the actual law surrounding the measure, which passed with a 19-12 vote.

Here is a snippet from the proposal:

The Federal Council is asked to submit to Parliament a statutory basis, which allows the manufacture, touting, importation, sale and distribution of game programs, to prohibit, in which cruel acts of violence against humans and humanlike creatures for the game success.

Another measure, proposed from the Christian Democratic Party and National Councillor Norbert Hochreutener, was passed making it illegal to sell PEGI 16 or 18-rated games to minors. It garnered 27 votes.

Maybe Switzerland is too close to Germany.

Via GamePolitics.

According to a Microsoft fact sheet, ten more countries will be getting the Xbox Live Video Marketplace this fall.

In addition to the eight countries already enjoying movies and TV shows through regional partnerships with studios, networks and providers such as Sky, Netflix, Zune, and Canal+ Group, 1080p video is expanding to: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Bet that makes some of you very happy.

Via Joystiq.

In a recent report just released, via the BBC, two human rights organisations has accused videogames of letting you commit “violations of international law.

The groups Trial and Pro Juventute carried out the study, and played games like Call of Duty 4, 24: The Game, Far Cry 2 and Metal Gear Solid, to name a few.

The list of games were played to know if “whether certain scenes and acts committed by players would constitute violations of international law if they were real, rather than virtual.”

However, Rock Paper Shotgun writer John Walker has come out and defend the role videogames have, citing the airport level in Modern Warfare 2 as an example of the mature content in gaming.

“For all those who mowed down citizens in Modern Warfare 2′s controversial airport level, I have the sneaking suspicion that not a great deal of them think this is lawful, nor appropriate, behaviour.”

“Whether or not the rules of war are included in the game should be based entirely on whether that improves the experience for the player,” said Jim Rossignol of RPS.

Find more through the link.

Thanks, freedoms_stain.

Microsoft’s confirmed to VG247 that Inside Xbox went live in eight extra European countries yesterday.

The online 360 magazine is now available in Denmark, Finland, Holland, Norway and Sweden, and in multiple languages in Austria, Belgium and Switzerland.

Up to yesterday, the service was viewable in America, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Taiwan.

To take a look, just boot up your 360 and navigate to the Inside Xbox channel.

GI’s reporting that’s THQ’s International office in Zurich has closed, costing ten jobs.

The move is part of the overall plan to cut 600 posts, first announced earlier this month.

The International office was originally intended to work on future expansion plans for the publisher, but wasn’t linked to any specific territory.

More through there.

“It’s great news for the staff and the company. People need to be able to talk to each other and be close to the business,” said a source.

“Having the majority of central staff return here is a very smart move.”

The site claims that the Geneva admin base “experiment” started by former international boss James Ellingford is now essentially over.

More through the link.