A Raleigh, N.C., company's plans for a video game featuring one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq war have been exploded by a barrage of criticism.
Atomic Games' "Six Days in Fallujah," which was scheduled for release next year, has been canceled by its distributor, Japanese video-game publisher Konami.
"Six Days" caused an uproar after Atomic and Konami announced earlier this month that the game was in development. Although video-game violence is common, "Six Days" seemed to hit a nerve because U.S. soldiers are still dying in Iraq.
Critics were unswayed by the knowledge that Atomic has been working alongside Marines who fought at Fallujah to develop the game.
"We are grateful and pleased that [Konami] listened to our voice," said Karen Meredith of Gold Star Families Speak Out, an organization that represents relatives of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gold Star had complained that the game was insensitive to the tragedy of the war and urged that it be cancelled.
Meredith said she recently talked to a mother whose son was killed in Fallujah who was upset by the Marines' participation in the game's development. "She wanted to know why they thought this was the right way to honor her son," Meredith said.
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