Tactical military shooter Six Days in Fallujah will see a release this year, more than a decade after its cancellation in 2009.
Originally developed by Atomic Games, Six Days in Fallujah aimed to depict the 2004 Iraq War’s Second Battle of Fellujah. Its aim was to depict the battle much like a documentary, going so far as to consult “over 47” first-hand survivors – Iraqi civilians and insurgents among them. The game’s direction and setting was the target of immediate controversy, drawing fire from anti-war groups and veterans of Coalition forces. Konami, the game’s then-publisher, withdrew its contract with Atomic Games mere days after its announcement due to backlash.
Now, Six Days in Fallujah has found new life thanks to a collaboration between Victura, a studio founded by former Atomic Games CEO Peter Tamte, and Highwire Games. The latter is made up of former Bungie employees, including those who worked on the iconic original Halo games. The game has been re-developed to catch up to the decade’s advances in hardware, presumably from scratch.
“Six Days in Fallujah”, the re-announcement statement…states, “aims to be the most authentic military shooter to date and to tell these military and civilian stories with the integrity they deserve.”
In a FAQ page accompanying the game’s re-announcement, both studios stress that the US military has had no involvement with the game’s return:
“The US government is not involved in making the game, nor are there any plans to use it for recruiting. The Marines, Soldiers, and Iraqi civilians who’ve helped us participated as private citizens, and the game is being financed independently through private investors”
While it hasn’t stopped contemporary controversy from flaring up – Vice’s Rob Zacny has hit the ground running with his thoughtful article that include vital historical context – the distancing from the military-entertainment complex should reassure some former critics. The promise of “a portion” of proceeds being donated to “organizations supporting coalition service members who have been most affected by the war on terror”, a process to be directed by the game’s eyewitness consultants, should also prove well-received.
With all that said, however, it remains to be seen as to how a US-based development studio will handle its narrative about a war that was highly propagandised both there and abroad, especially when compared to the German-made masterwork Spec Ops: The Line. It’s highly likely that the game will feature US-centric perspectives, which detract from more accurate contexts (again, Rob Zacny’s above-linked article is superb in this regard). It’s still early days yet, and more information could come to light that makes this assumption less feasable, but I’m not holding my breath.
Six Days in Fallujah is scheduled for release later this year on “current and next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft, as well as Windows PC.”
[For a more detailed version of the game’s original development and controversy, check out Matt Paprocki’s article in Variety. Laura Parker’s similar article for GameSpot is a great read too.]
Arana blames her stunted social skills and her general uselessness on a lifetime of video games. Between her ears is a comprehensive Team Fortress 2 encyclopedia. Her brain remains at large.
