Future of Fallujah video game in doubt - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Future of Fallujah video game in doubt

A controversial video game based on an epic battle in Iraq may not be released after all.

Peter Tamte, president of Atomic Games, the developer of “Six Days in Fallujah,” released a statement Tuesday confirming that Atomic’s partner in the venture, Konami Digital Entertainment, has dropped plans to produce the game.

“Development of the game had been progressing very well and on schedule. We would very much like the opportunity to complete the game,” Tamte said in the statement.

It is not clear, however, if Atomic is pursuing additional partnerships or continuing work on the game. A spokesman for the company declined to answer further questions.

Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, at Camp Pendleton, Calif., came up with the idea for a historically accurate video game based on their experiences fighting in Fallujah in November 2004.

“They want to tell their story. Video games are their medium,” Tamte told Marine Corps Times in mid-April.

The game, which was slated for release next year, was supposed to combine elements of a documentary film to recreate some of the Iraq war’s bloodiest fights. It was to be developed for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

Related reading: Support, criticism greet Fallujah video game

Discuss the proposed game

But despite support from the troops who fought in the battle, the game has drawn widespread criticism from civilians, especially from family members who lost loved ones in Fallujah.

According to a Monday post on SPOnG.com, a PR official for Konami reportedly said that “after seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it.”

A spokesman for Konami Digital Entertainment was not immediately available for comment.

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Staff writers Karen Jowers and Amy McCullough contributed to this report