A controversial game. According to 404media, the Steam platform has eliminated games sold online from its British catalog Fursan-Al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Ai-Aqsa Mosque at the request of the Counter Terrorism Internet Reference Unit (CTIRU), the UK’s counter terrorism Internet reference unit. The title remains accessible in most countries around the world, including France.
At the center of the problem: scenes that reproduce the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. In fact, the game invites users to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian fighter responsible for attacking positions of the Israeli defense forces.
Recent update
First released in April 2022, the game allowed you to simulate attacks by Israelis, for example in Jerusalem. But a recently implemented update replicates the October 7 attacks, carried out by Hamas.
From the first images of the update’s trailer, the tone is set. “Where are those wearing the explosive belts? Where are they? Come here, I want an explosive belt to blow me up on top of the Zionists!” says a voice in the video.
Several scenes follow in which Hamas fighters land motorized paragliders at an Israel Defense Forces base and execute an Israeli soldier on his knees by shooting him in the back of the head.
If the game’s Steam page does not directly mention Hamas, the main character wears a green headband characteristic of the organization. in a post
“Political motivations”
For its part, the developer defends itself by ensuring that it has developed a game that “is not much different from any other shooting game on Steam, like Obligationsfor example.” “The regional blocking of my game in the UK was clearly politically motivated (they accuse my game of being ‘terrorist’ propaganda),” he continues for 404media.
“According to the flawed logic of the British authorities, the new Call of Duty Black Ops 6 should also be banned. Playing as an American soldier and going to Iraq to kill Iraqis. What I can say is that we clearly see a double standard,” he believes .
In the trailer, however, the video game highlights – several times – the fact of executing prisoners. According to the developer, the YouTube channel dedicated to its video game has also been deleted.
In total, Fursan-Al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Ai-Aqsa Mosque It would have sold between 7,000 and 36,000 sales according to the SteamDB site.
Source: BFM TV
