Destructive Creations, the videogame developer behind the controversial 'Hatred' has decided to cancel a planned sequel after both fans the media had reacted poorly to previews.
Set in the present day, 'Hatred 2' would have put players in the shoes of Michael Brown, a 43 year old white male police officer who goes on a rampage and starts killing unarmed black men. The game was first revealed to the public at a recent press event where a trailer was premiered. But the reaction from the audience was not what Jarosław Zieliński, Destructive Creations CEO and his team were hoping for.
"People just didn't seem too phased by the contents of the game," Said Zieliński, "After successfully upsetting everyone with our first title, we wanted to make something that was even more outrageous, even more shocking with the sequel. But all we got was general apathy."
Zieliński recalls an exciting moment when he thought he'd seen a journalist gasp in horror, only to be later informed that said journalist was merely yawning.
"It's like everyone has seen this sort of thing so many times before that they've become desensitised to it, you know? They're just so accustomed to seeing innocent black men die. Police brutality has kind of gotten boring at this point, and we pride ourselves on not making boring games at Destructive Creations, only ones in poor taste. We had to cancel the game."
But Owen, a 26 year old white, male gamer disagrees with Jarosław Zieliński's assertions. He argues that the reason why the game wasn't controversial is because the black men killed aren't innocent. According to him, some weren't even unarmed. "There ain't nothing controvertial about killing thugs." Declares Owen, as he scratches his beard with the barrel of his shotgun.
"Look the level at the gas station for example. The black guy is holding a gas pump in his hand, which could far too easily be mistaken for a gun from a distance. And if you're standing in a gas station with something that vaguely looks like a gun, you're pretty asking to be burned to crisp by a giant explosion. You're asking for it."
Right now, Destructive Creations has decided to move onto other projects. One of there more promising ones has players take control of a man who sexually harasses women on the street. The team hopes that people will actully care enough to be outraged by it.