Six days in Fallujah, a controversial third-person shooter set during the Iraq War, is back in development more than a decade after being canceled after negative and controversial feedback around the game’s premise.
Originally announced in 2009 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, Six days in Fallujah is a tactical shooting game set during the Second Battle of Fallujah. The game’s original developer – an extinct studio called Atomic Games – said it was working with real American soldiers to create a more authentic experience.
After the initial announcement, several groups spoke out, criticizing the concept of the game. The negative reception eventually led Konami, the original publisher, to announce that he would no longer publish it.
The new developer in charge of creating the game is Highwire Games, a company co-founded by three people, mainly Jaime Griesemer and Marty O’Donnell. Griesemer previously served as a game designer at Bungie and Sucker Punch Productions, working on areola and Infamous franchises. O’Donnell also worked at Bungie and is known for co-composing music for several areola titles and the first Destiny games.
To ensure this is the “most authentic military sniper so far”, Highwire Games announced on Six days in Fallujah website that the development team spoke to “more than 100 Iraqi marines, soldiers and civilians who were present during the Second Battle of Fallujah”, who shared personal stories, photographs and video recordings with the developer.
Victura, a company founded by Pete Tamte, former vice president of Bungie, will be the publisher of the game. Tamte was previously the CEO of Atomic Games, where he was involved in the original development period for Six days in Fallujah.
Six days in Fallujah it is scheduled to be released in 2021 on the PC; the game will also be released on consoles, but Highwire Games has not yet announced which platforms.