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Konami No Longer Publishing Six Days In Fallujah

Konami takes an Excedrin and says no thanks to Atomic's Iraq-based shooter.

The WSJ reported that the game had over 40 veterans contribute to the project.
The WSJ reported that the game had over 40 veterans contribute to the project.
According to an article out of The Asahi Shimbun, Konami has dropped out of publishing controversial shooter, Six Days in Fallujah. The news comes within a month of us first hearing about the game, a fact-based shooter set in Iraq being made by Atomic Games. The article blames Konami's decision on the overwhelmingly bad reception the title received from Western audiances after its announcement.
"After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it," a public relations official of Konami said. "We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there."
As a sensitive subject, there's not a whole lot for me to add to this one other then ask what you guys think. Is Konami chickening out? Is there anything different about playing a game set in Iraq based on real events then one based on Vietnam or World War II? Do you think Konami would have even been in this mess if the game had a less in your face name? Would a publisher based in the United States run into the same problem?

I'm curious to know who will jump in to pick this one up, given all the hoopla. My guess is the guys at Atomic, who acording to their site make training sims for the world's leading military and intelligence organizations, won't have any trouble finding a new backer. If not, here's hoping they decide to make another Close Combat game instead. The early strategy titles for the PC were some of my favorites in the genre.
Dave Snider on Google+