CI Games has offered an apology for a controversial Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 press event. The developer says it is "distressed" by the event, in which attendees were invited to fire fake ammunition at actors dressed in traditional Arabic clothing.
Why has CI Games apologized for the Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 event?
The full apology is, in part, a response to an article written by TheGamer journalist Eric Switzer. In the article, Switzer describes his experience attending the Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 press event. Switzer details a number of concerning aspects of the event, such as a "TRUMP 2024: THE REVENGE TOUR" flag on prominent display, white actors wearing "white robes and keffiyehs", and those same actors being asked to "ululate like a jihadist". All in all, the event as Switzer describes it sounds somewhat misguided, especially given Switzer says that at no point did he or any of his fellow attendees actually play Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2.
CI Games' apology directly names Switzer, as well as "any other participants who found the event offensive". The studio says it chose to host the event on an "authentic military training base" in order to give journalists a taste of what being the game's protagonist, Raven, would be like. Although Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 takes place in the fictional region of Kuamar, CI Games' request to change enemy outfits to match those in the game "was declined" due to the hosts of the training wanting to preserve authenticity. CI Games also says it was unable to travel to Europe in order to involve itself in the running of the event directly, leading to "certain decisions [being] overlooked".
What's next for CI Games, and how has the event's PR firm responded?
For his part, Switzer says he's glad CI Games apologized, but he is "uncertain" as to whether direct involvement from the studio would have changed anything. In addition, Switzer says that he has seen the PR firm responsible for the event "liking the posts from people calling me an uneducated crybaby". Unfortunately, it's difficult to verify these claims, since Switzer doesn't name the company in question.
In future, the Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 developer says it will "work hard" to ensure that Sniper Ghost Warrior press events live up to its standards of "respect and tolerance". The studio says it takes full responsibility for what happened, that it "abhors racism of any kind", and that it doesn't have any affiliation with any US political movement or organization. We'll have to wait until the next Sniper Ghost Warrior game arrives to see if the studio has learnt its lesson from this controversy.
How do you feel about this press event and the subsequent CI Games apology? Let us know in the comments below!
