The developer of the upcoming Mickey Mouse horror game Nightmare Forge Games has announced that it has changed the title for the game.
The gameplay is described as a co-op survival horror game that will see players investigate a mysterious infestation in the 1980s.
While the game seemed to take off on social media, somecalled the game outfor its title’s association with “neo-Nazi” symbolism.
Mickey Mouse horror game changes title one day after reveal
The number 88 is an antisemitic dog whistlerecognized by the Anti-Defamation Leagueand is used by neo-Nazis.
i am concerned the new horror mouse game is anti-semitic and everyone is just missing it 🫠https://t.co/kxwF3K9tSC
Inverseasked Nightmare Forge Games if they were aware of the reference and “if the team were neo-Nazis.” Nightmare Forge responded to Inverse’s question “No, we are not.”
“Unfortunately, when announcing the game, we were unaware of the additional implications associated with the number 88. Our game is set in the 1980s, with the year 1988 being chosen simply for its symmetrical design in our game’s artwork. Therefore, the 88 strictly represents the year 1988; no additional connotations are intended,” the developer told Inverse.
The developer then put out a statement onsocial mediasaying that it had decided to change the title of the game to Infestation: Origins to get away from any connections or comparisons to the antisemitic group.
Update: We’re changing our game’s name to ‘Infestation: Origins’. Full statement below.pic.twitter.com/pHSdT83SEm
“We apologize for our ignorance on this and appreciate that this was brought to our attention so we could address it ASAP,” the developer said.
Declan McLaughlin was a Gaming & Esports Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in Valorant and League of Legends. He has bylines at Upcomer and Inven Global.
