In the upcoming Medal of Honor titled by EA coming out October 12th, EA has decided to remove the ability to let players control Taliban fighters because of the amid harsh criticism from military officials and others.
You may of heard almost a month ago that the US military banned the game because of this. You can read more about that article here if you are interested.
Game publisher Electronic Arts said Friday that it has decided to remove the name “Taliban” from one of the forces in the multiplayer version of the game, which focuses on modern-day fighting in Afghanistan.
“This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about,” Goodrich said in a written statement. “Because of this, and because the heartbeat of ‘Medal of Honor’ has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team.”
Players still will be able to control the fighters — which are the enemy when a player is playing the game alone — but they will be referred to simply as “Opposing Force.”
The U.S. military’s Army & Air Force Exchange Service had asked on-base stores not to stock “Medal of Honor.” “Out of respect to those we serve, we will not be stocking this game,” said Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, the service’s commanding officer. “We regret any inconvenience this may cause authorized shoppers, but are optimistic that they will understand the sensitivity to the life and death scenarios this product presents as entertainment.”
Jeff Brown, a spokesman for EA, said the controversy surprised the game publisher. “The misunderstanding starts with people who don’t understand the dynamics of video games,” Brown said. “There are cops and robbers, good guys vs. bad guys, in nearly every game, and we were surprised to be reminded that not everyone gets that dynamic.”
You can read the entire and rest of the article below.
Source: CNN.com