Six Days in Fallujahis a controversial upcoming game about the Second Battle of Fallujah, which took place in 2004 during the Iraq War. A number of game developers, community members, and even an Iraq War veteran have gone on the record recently with their concerns.
The battle thatSix Days in Fallujahis meant to depict, the Second Battle of Fallujah, is mired in controversy. During the battle, hundreds of Iraqi civilians, as well as around 100 US and British troops, lost their lives. There were also accusations that the US military used white phosphorous against civilians. The game was originally announced back in 2009, developed by Atomic Games and published by Konami, but controversies surrounding it then caused the publisher to drop it.
RELATED:The Controversy Behind Six Days In Fallujah Explained
In 2016 the former CEO of Atomic Games, Peter Tamte, formed a new studio called Victura tocontinue development on the game for a 2021 release. It’s worth noting that before working at on the originalSix Days in Fallujah, Tamte’s company used to make military training simulators for the CIA and FBI.
Among those who spoke about the game to IGN, both on the record and anonymously, there was skepticism that the game would be a respectful and fair depiction of the battle. The developer has made clear it doesn’t think the game needs toportray the atrocities that occurred.
While its developer initially maintained the game wasn’t political, it later released a statement claiming thatSix Days in Fallujahis “inseparable from politics.“Even so, games often glorify their subjects, and just because developers are accepting their game is inherently political doesn’t mean they’re necessarily going to do the critical analysis needed to portray the events respectfully and accurately. John Phipps, a veteran who was involved in the Second Battle of Fallujah, told IGN: “There is a massive unwillingness on the part of American media, no matter what form of media it is, to portray US soldiers as the antagonists or the bad guys, which, in that instance, we were.”
When talking aboutSix Days in Fallujah, another Lebanese-Arab game developer named Alex asked, “What is the underlying message? What is this trying to sell me under the guise of empathy?” If the developers fail to critically examine their role in portraying the battle, or consciously make the decision to glorify the US military,Six Days in Fallujahmay become little more than propaganda ora tool to recruit young people to the military. Given Tamte’s history and how the game looks so far, detractors might be right to express pessimism about it now.
Six Days in Fallujahis expected to release late 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
