The original version of Six Days in Fallujah was announced in 2009 by developer Atomic Games and publisher Konami, but it met with criticism from war veterans and anti-war groups. Putting a violent video game in a real world war – especially a war that is not only fresh in the memory but also seen as unjust – was considered controversial. This caused Konami to withdraw from the project. While it was never formally canceled by Atomic Games, the news of Six Days in Fallujah gradually faded. In the years since, former Atomic Games CEO Peter Tamte founded Victura and has been working on a new version of Six Days In Fallujah since 2016.
“It’s hard to understand what fights are really like by fake people doing fake things in fake places,” Tamte said in a statement. “This generation showed sacrifice and courage in Iraq, just as remarkable as in history. And now they offer the rest of us a new way to understand one of the most important events of our century. It’s time to challenge outdated stereotypes about what video games can be. “
Tamte herself served as Bungie’s executive vice president during the development and launch of Halo: Combat Evolved. The development team for the new version of Six Days In Fallujah is led by Jaime Griesemer, who was the lead developer of Halo and Destiny, while the music is provided by Halo’s original composer, Marty O’Donnell. Numerous other ex-Bungie employees make up Highwire, including former design director, character, vehicle, and weapons artists. Victura has said more details about the game will be released in the coming weeks.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer.