Microsoft has confirmed that Gears of War 2 will not see a release in either Germany or Japan. The decision not to release the game in Germany was not completely unexpected, seeing as the original Gears of War did not make it through the country's strict video game censorship either, but news that the sequel to the 2006 hit title won't be sold in Japan comes as a bit of a surprise to many.
Gears of War was one of the first western games to make a significant mark on the Japanese market and, according to Edge, it sold 33,212 copies in the country in its first week and entered the software charts at number seven. The inability to secure a Japanese release is a blow to Microsoft, which has been making some headway in Japan recently. (Image source 1up.com)