Controversial "Fallujah" video game delayed to 2022

"Six Days in Fallujah,” a shooter game based on the U.S. military’s 2004 battle in Iraq, has been postponed until late 2022.

Why it matters: “Six Days” is among the most controversial games on the horizon, given that it features a battle the Red Cross says killed hundreds of Iraqi civilians.

• Originally announced a decade ago but shelved then due to pushback, it re-emerged earlier this year, with a planned 2021 release date.
• While the developers pitched it as a re-creation of playing history, critics decried it as offensive — a randomized “Arab murder simulator” — and have petitioned for Sony, Microsoft and Valve to block it from sale on the PlayStation, Xbox and Steam stores.

The details: The developers quietly messaged fans in September that the game would need more time and officially announced its delay today.

• Asked if the delay had led to any changes to address criticism, a rep for the studio told Axios: “The biggest change is the realization that we need a much bigger team. Everyone on our team feels a responsibility to do right by the people, both veterans and Iraqis, who’ve trusted us with their stories, and this is greatly impacted by the resources, we have to do it.”
• But the only specific changes to the game announced today were an improvement to the game’s lighting.

What’s next: “Six Days” is announced for PC and consoles.

• An Xbox rep told CNN last month that they were “aware of concerns and are looking into the content." (Xbox chief Phil Spencer had no further detail when we interviewed him).
• Sony and Valve did not reply to requests for comment.