Konami's Fallujah pullout 'caught us by surprise' - Atomic Games

Yesterday, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper quoted a Japanese rep for Konami as saying that the Metal Gear Solid 4 maker was no longer publishing Six Days in Fallujah. The company announced a distribution deal for the "ultrarealistic" Iraq War shooter earlier this month and touted it as a major 2009 release at its gamers' day event just two weeks ago.

"After seeing the reaction to the video game in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it," a Konami rep said. Though no protests were mentioned specifically, there had been loud complaints by several Iraq War casualties' families and a British antiwar group.

While aware of the problem, developer Atomic Games was shocked by Konami's decision to drop the game, which is being made with the assistance of veterans of the titular battle.

"We were informed on Thursday night that Konami had decided to pull out of Six Days in Fallujah," studio president Peter Tamte told GameSpot. "This caught us by surprise. Development of the game had been progressing very well and on schedule."

So what's next for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC title? Atomic reps declined to talk about potential publishing partners or whether or not the company would self-publish. "We would very much like the opportunity to complete the game," was all Tamte would say.

As of press time, US Konami reps still had not responded to requests for comment about Six Days in Fallujah's status or the reasoning behind the company's decision.