It looks like the creators of Six Days in Fallujah are trying to give more nuance to the game’s approach to the real-life politics and history of its source material.
In a new update published to Six Days in Fallujah’s official site (opens in new tab), publisher Victura says the events of the game “are inseparable from politics” and that “the game gives voice to a variety of perspectives.” On top of interactive segments where you play as a service member in situations based on real-life reported experiences, the game also includes documentary segments which “discuss many tough topics, including the events and political decisions that led to the Fallujah battles as well as their aftermath”.
In an interview with Polygon last month, Victura head Peter Tamte said Six Days in Fallujah would show how “choices made by policymakers affect the choices” soldiers made in battle, but that his team was not trying to make any kind of political commentary on the war itself.
Tamte also said the game would not allow players to use white phosphorus as a weapon. The new update confirms that use of the substance – which is not classified as a chemical weapon, though it can cause bone-deep burns and suffocation when used against people, as it was by Coalition forces in Fallujah – will be addressed during the documentary parts of the game.
Nothing in this new update specifically contradicts the main point of what Tamte said last month; the developers still aren’t saying anything about making a political commentary on the events of the battle themselves or the decisions that led to them. Still, it’s clear that the studio is reconsidering how it addresses the historical context of Six Days in Fallujah, at least in marketing the game.