The Iraq war game, which is set during 2004’s Second Battle of Fallujah, was dropped by Konami in April 2009 due to the amount of negative feedback received. “After seeing the reaction to the video game in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and email, we decided several days ago not to sell it,” a Konami spokesperson said at the time. “We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.” Developer Atomic Games had been collaborating with real US soldiers to authentically retell the Iraq battle of Fallujah from an American perspective. Unsurprisingly, the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 shooter soon came under fire from the mainstream press - even real-life SAS hardman Andy McNab got involved. Now, 11 years later, Six Days in Fallujah is back as a tactical military shooter based on the real-world events, in development by former Halo and Destiny makers. Victura, which was founded by former Atomic Games CEO Peter Tamte in 2016, is the Seattle company behind the revival, with Golem studio Highwire signed on to make the game. Highwire was created by Jaime Griesemer, who was lead designer for the original Halo and Destiny games, Marty O’Donnell, who was audio director and composer for Halo and Destiny, and Jared Noftle, who co-founded Airtight Games. In its announcement, Victura includes a quote from former Marine Sergeant Eddie Garcia, who was wounded during the Battle for Fallujah and proposed the original idea for Six Days in Fallujah in 2005: “Sometimes the only way to understand what’s true is to experience reality for yourself,” Garcia said. “War is filled with uncertainty and tough choices that can’t be understood by watching someone on a TV or movie screen make these choices for you. Video games can help all of us understand real-world events in ways other media can’t.” The note to press stresses that the developers are working with frontline marines and soldiers who fought in the Battle for Fallujah, with over 100 marines, soldiers and Iraqi civilians who were present sharing their stories, photos and recordings. The game will include original documentary interview footage. Here’s a bullish quote from Tamte, perhaps in anticipation of questions over why this game needs to be made: “It’s hard to understand what combat is actually like through fake people doing fake things in fake places. This generation showed sacrifice and courage in Iraq as remarkable as any in history. And now they’re offering the rest of us a new way to understand one of the most important events of our century. It’s time to challenge outdated stereotypes about what video games can be.” Six Days in Fallujah is due out on PC and consoles at some point in 2021.
