Game developer issues grovelling apology for offensive event with white actors dressed as ‘Arabs’
Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2. (CI Games)
CI Games, the developer behind military shooter Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2, has apologised for a disastrous press event where attendees were invited to shoot Arabs.
As reported by The Gamer, the press event took place earlier this month at a military training base in San Diego ahead of the game’s launch.
Attendees were subjected to “extreme military counter-terrorism training”, including how to breach buildings, handle weapons, and run various training drills.
That involved firing M4 rifles at (white) actors dressed as Arabs in a recreation of a Middle Eastern town.
In addition, there was very little opportunity to even play Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2, the game the event was promoting.
Following the report of the event, CI Games has issued an apology on Twitter.
“We were distressed to discover that an event meant to be fun and engaging for participants had instead caused offence for some attendees,” it reads.
We were deeply disturbed to read this @EpicSwitzer. Please see our response below. pic.twitter.com/2uWjhAKPBY
— CI Games (@CIGamesOfficial) June 24, 2021
The game takes place in a fictional world that avoids stereotyping, despite what the press event portrayed.
“We had asked the events company to change the outfits of the enemies in order to match those that are represented in the game, which are specifically designed to avoid any direct or indirect cultural representations,” reads the apology.
“We were informed that in order to preserve the authenticity of their training event, this request was declined.”
As CI Games are based in Poland, they were unable to attend the San Diego event themselves to “engage directly in the running of the event”.
The statement also notes how “respect and tolerance are keystones of our company’s culture” and the company “would like to apologise directly to Eric Switzer from The Gamer and to any other participants who found the event offensive.”
Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
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