EA pulls weapon promotion
Thursday, August 16, 2012 5:03 PM
EA has, apparently reluctantly, pulled a weapons promotion from its website after receiving negative press.
Eurogamer, following on from a Gameological Society editorial, had taken issue with the publisher for launching a Medal of Honor Warfighter tie-in with a number of real-life weapons manufacturers - including the development of the 'Voodoo Hawk' axe made by blades manufacturer SOG "in partnership" with EA.
"The Voodoo Tomahawk has since been removed from our website because of the article," executive producer Greg Goodrich told Eurogamer features editor Martin Robinson at Gamescom on Wednesday.
However, Goodrich, whose blog on the Medal of Honor website is full of enthusiastic endorsements for a variety of weapons companies which are making appearances in the latest game, seemed unrepentant.
"That was an effort to raise a lot of money for charity, and we were well on our way to raising a lot of money with that tomahawk, but I don't know what will happen with that now," he said, referring to Project Honor - a programme to help members of the Special Operations Community.
Goodrich then claimed that promoting lethal combat weapons is no different from endorsing fast cars.
"If I played Need for Speed and I'm handed the key to a Porsche, does that make me want to get in it and drive like a maniac and run people over?" he said.
When asked if EA would be ending its associations with weapons firms in light of the backlash, Goodrich told Eurogamer: "Every partnership's still in place - that's just the one weapon, the tool that had the branding."
Gamers are aghast at EA's stance.
One user hit the nail on the head: "What … are we supposed to say now to all those who normally criticise video games and its link with violence?"