Iraq War game 'that glorifies killing Arabs' delayed again amid controversy

A controversial war game called ‘Six Days in Fallujah’ has been delayed until late 2022, as backlash over the game continues over its depiction of the Iraq War.

The game, which is being developed by Victura, is loosely based on the bloody 2004 Second Battle of Fallujah, when US and UK forces assaulted the northern Iraqi city.

Critics previously launched a petition to several technology giants, including Microsoft and Sony (which own Xbox and PlayStation respectively), not to host the video game.

The petition, launched by the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has slammed the game as an "Arab murder simulator" that glorifies violence.

Others thought the game, which is based on a real battle during the Iraq War that killed some 800 Iraqi civilians, "justifies the illegal invasion of Iraq and reinforces Islamophobic narratives".

The petition reads: "As a gamer I join the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Veterans For Peace in calling on Microsoft, Sony and Valve to ban their platforms from hosting or digitally distributing Six Days in Fallujah, an Arab murder simulator that will only normalize violence against Muslims in America and around the world.

"The gaming industry must stop dehumanizing Muslims. Video games like Six Days in Fallujah only serve to glorify violence that took the lives of hundreds of Iraqi civilians, justify the Iraq war, and reinforce anti-Muslim sentiment at a time when anti-Muslim bigotry continues to threaten human life." 

Victura CEO Peter Tamte has said the game's development will continue despite the backlash.

"It became clear that recreating these true stories at a high quality was going to require more people, capital and time than we had," he said, according to edgadget.

"Doubling our team is just one of many things we're doing to make sure Six Days in Fallujah brings new kinds of tactical and emotional depth to military shooters."