A journalist's report about an unsettling experience during Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2's recent press event prompted series developer CI Games to issue a public apology. The latest Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts entry hit stores earlier this month on June 4; however, Screen Rant sister site The Gamer, as well as a few other publications and content creators, were invited to take part in a media event on June 5.
According to Eric Switzer, the editor who attended the gathering on The Gamer's behalf, no one knew what to expect upon arriving at the Strategic Operations tactical training facility in San Diego. Unable to attend the meeting due to Covid-related restrictions, Polish studio CI Games partnered with event coordinator Incredible Adventures, a business that specializes in delivering fighter jet flights, space-like escapades, and military adventures around the world. The military training scenario crafted by Incredible Adventures reportedly centered on a misrepresentation of the Middle East too often depicted in Western-made film and television. Switzer's account described desolate streets lined with mud houses and grit-covered cars; parts of an animal carcass (presumably fake) lay on a table. Stranger still, the training facility had a "TRUMP 2024 The Revenge Tour" flag flying during the session.
What Switzer found especially disturbing, however, were the enemies that press members battled during the simulation. Role-players adorned with keffiyehs and white robes played the part of Muslim and Arab fighters, though the organizers referred to them as "the enemies" or "bad guys." Switzer expressed uncertainty about whether the role-players were Middle Easterners or white actors dressing the part. At the end of the scenario, Switzer added, media participants were asked to face the role-players with raised fists; the opposition received instructions to lift their hands and "ululate like a jihadist." The event caught public attention following a TheGamer tweet, which apparently caught the eye of Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2's development studio.
On Thursday, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts developer CI Games released a public statement. Deeply disturbed by the report, the studio clarified that it "abhors racism of any kind," before explaining its part in the "launch event." CI Games hoped the session at the military training base would replicate Navy SEALs' training, giving press a taste of the fictional land of Kuamar that Sniper Ghost Warrior protagonist Raven must navigate. The studio claims it asked the event coordinator to avoid "direct or indirect cultural representations;" yet, those involved declined the request. Because of travel restrictions, CI Games couldn't participate in-person as intended, which culminated in an outcome that goes against company values. The statement ends with the firm apologizing to Switzer and anyone else who feels offended by the scenario.
Why CI Games didn't cancel the arrangement after Incredible Adventures reportedly declined the studio's terms remains a mystery. Additionally mysterious, according to The Gamer Editor-in-Chief Kirk McKeand, is that the PR firm that helped organize the event apparently liked social media posts defending it amid the situation.
Screen Rant received an invite to the launch event, which was later revoked. A journalist from Gamer Escape said they, too, had their invitation rescinded due to invites being "sent out prematurely." Screen Rant has yet to hear back from CI Games representatives when inquiring about review copies of Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2.
Source: CI Games/Twitter, The Gamer
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