Kuma going back to Iran

Assault on Iran, Pt. 3: Payback in Iraq in development as response to Iranian students' digital take on volatile situation.

Since the 1979 incident involving Iranian students taking 52 Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran, relations between the two countries haven't exactly been neighborly. Talks between the US and Iran have been cut off by several administrations, but one company is hoping to reopen discussions--through games.

Kuma Reality Games develops PC games based on real-life world events, and has spent much of the past several years developing new missions for its Kuma/War game based on various military proceedings in the Middle East. A recent mission titled Assault on Iran saw gamers head into the country in an effort to stop the development of nuclear weapons.

Late last month, it was reported that a group of Iranian students are developing a game that takes the nuclear weapons situation from Iran's point of view. In it, Iranian Special Forces, led by the fictional Commander Bahman, attempt to rescue a nuclear scientist from the clutches of US soldiers.

Kuma has shot back by announcing the PC game Assault on Iran, Pt. 3: Payback in Iraq, reports Reuters. According to the game's creators, part three isn't retaliation, but rather an opportunity for some cyber-discourse.

"It's an opportunity for us to have this back and forth," Kuma executive Keith Halper told Reuters. "We'll see which way it goes. Hopefully they'll pick it up and we'll have this discourse."

Kuma's new game follows up on the storyline of the Iranian students' game. In Payback in Iraq, Commander Bahman discovers that the Iranian scientist wasn't in fact captured by US soldiers--he defected.

Assault on Iran, Pt. 3: Payback in Iraq is currently scheduled to be released--when else?--July 4.

36 Comments

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 8:42 am PT

    Wow this is great!
    Game War!

  • VincentV21

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 4:29 am PT

    I highly doubt the Iranian students feel like having a discourse, unless by discourse they mean kill a bunch of innocent people and blame america

  • iniquitous

    Posted Oct 2, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    Clever idea on the part of the developers. The idea is to use the entertainment medium of video games to divert some dangerous real-world tensions into a semi-friendly international/cultural rivalry.

    In other words, entertaining propoganda. Commander Bahman vs. Sam Fisher? Anyone?

  • Xeythe

    Posted Jun 11, 2006 9:11 pm PT

    Kuma War has been out for a while now...I remember playing it like more than a year ago...

  • ivan_the_one

    Posted Jun 11, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    this will probably be adding fuel to the fire of people who want to ban games...they'll probably say that it makes people want to start wars or something stupid like that......

  • nintendorocks

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 9:17 pm PT

    War through video games? I could imagine this causing a lot of problems between Iran and America even though this is a video game. Maybe not the governments but the people.

    To Benri4761- I am a American. And I am damn proud of it! I'll be damned if you are going to sit at the computer where ever you are and say the United States of America is a sick country! I'm sure others will be equally mad about this seeing as how over half of Gamespot's community is American.

  • DeathStar17

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 1:54 pm PT

    Wow, this will accomplish nothing.

  • benri4761

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 6:54 am PT

    Hey Blazer, you are a complete moron (as if you didn't know already). The only evil country mentioned in this story is the US. Maybe you should do a little research on Iranian-US relations, and you'll learn that before Iran became what you call "evil," the US had propped up a leader in that country for decades that let his people suffer while he lived the good life. Remember, the US is the same country that brought Saddam Hussein to power and funded Osama bin Laden in the 1980's when he was fighting the Soviets. It's a sick country that uses it's power recklessly without ever even considering the consequences.

  • Zane182

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 3:12 am PT

    Wonder what Jack Thompson will say about this one? haha.

  • Blazer88

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 2:14 am PT

    Awsome.There should be more games where you take on evil countries like Iran.

  • evolutiontapped

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 8:16 pm PT

    Sure KUMA sucks but at least they are trying to have fun! Its kinda funny... if they get the Iranian students to keep it going it could even end up being cool in a funny silly way........

  • h_cj

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 5:14 pm PT

    Listen guy : in 1979 all of 52 Americans hostage in iran ware SPYs of America . it's not joking.and Americans army went to iran for free the hostages ; but the all of army DEAD in the desert.
    So i did'nt see anything for make a game for that.

  • DevilHunterX

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 3:40 pm PT

    I wonder where I can get the Irani students game demo?

  • Deval

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 3:25 pm PT

    Outlaw405 is right, Kuma does suck and this article is going to start another load of "Iran sucks"/"America Sucks" comments. It was funny the first time especially GKBeetle's reading of a history book to try and sound older than 12. Hope you read this Beetle, cause I ain't reading your reply =p

  • Poltergeist13

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 3:22 pm PT

    Make war, not love....lol.

  • Outlaw405

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 2:56 pm PT

    Kuma War sucked in the first place, why are they still trying?

    and continuing the storyline of somebody elses game? wtf, is this a sequel or something? what if they wanted to make a sequel to their own game?
    that was a very pathetic move.

    now they would be lucky if they can even compete with an amatuer group of students.

  • Lord_Bafford

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 2:15 pm PT

    geez sounds like a pretty crappy idea to me

  • faizali86

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:49 pm PT

    i agree with benny, instead of making gamers around the world hate each other, make some ww2 games or scifi games. gamers love shooting aliens, zombies, and nazis!

  • DevilHacker

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:49 pm PT

    Iran is led by a crazy psycho... I find it funny that a game would try to portray that... lol... Kuma War is something else...

  • Benny_is_here

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:34 pm PT

    Stuff like this causes dispute between gamers of the two sides. Not good.

  • speedy2295

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:28 pm PT

    it's better to fight war through games than too actually threaten the lives of our troops. this rivalry could possibly turn into an awesome storyline in a kind of weird collaboration of each others material. but it could also increase tension between our countries and the current situation we're in right now or it could also possibly lessen the tensions now that iran has agreed to talk to the u.s. hopefully the latter choice but i just don't see it happening. the human mind is a very weird thing thats why we see people born in other countries as completely diffrent from us but we all have the same body organ layout we're the same species yet some people try to divide the earth's population up by diffrences that should celebrated not looked down upon by the way i'm only 14.

  • trj156

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:27 pm PT

    the irani government is stupid, so are their nuclear programs

  • ghsacidman

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:15 pm PT

    Kuma War is a great game. Demollyon.... you should try to actually read the article before posting a reply. "What does this have to do with gaming?" Cause it's a game, thats what it has to do with gaming. And if you actually read the article instead of just trying to be first, you'd know that.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 1:09 pm PT

    I don't know about this game... sounds like propaganda to me.

  • Toadstool1969

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:54 pm PT

    This shows the guys at Kuma Reality Games have a great sense of humor.

    "Commander Bahman discovers that the Iranian scientist wasn't in fact captured by US soldiers--he defected." ... that is classic!

  • StanleyL GameSpot staff member

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:40 pm PT

    Assault on Iran, Pt. 4: Iran's Revenge

    US soldiers discovers that the Iranian scientist wasn't in fact a defector, but a double agent!

  • UltimaCloudX

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:36 pm PT

    I don't know... this sounds like it will create a ton of controversy, and possibly more tension between the two countries than anything; regardless of its fiction or fact.

    The U.S. and Iran are in a volatile state of communications as it is; and considering that none of the issues have been resolved between the two (not to mention the U.N. either), it seems like the intent is more to rally for different causes, and instigate more distrust and miscommunication... I do not think this is the right time or place to be making a videogame based on a real life potential crisis.

    Games are not viewed so much as toys anymore, and many game developers use them to show their own form of storytelling and art. I believe this would be more perceived as a riot inducer, than a fun play-from-both-perspectives, especially considering it is being developed by Iranian students, and titled "Assault on Iran", when there has not been an assault either, but again, puts the idea out there... It may be one thing to have Tom Clancy as the author, since everyone knows he writes fiction about things like this, but I doubt even he would put his name on such a sensitive issue like this, right as it was going on.

    I don't think this is a good idea to "reopen discussions -- through games", and would just make Hillary Clinton and Joseph Lieberman have a hayday; and July 4th....? C'mon, tell me that isn't trying to start anything.

  • KorJax

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:35 pm PT

    Guys. Kuma War is already out. The developers release missions involving real-life events when they happen or every now and then.

    Its not a very good game though. Bad graphics, crap gameplay, bad AI.

    You can download it for free, but i belive you have to pay for the individual missions on a horrible game engine.

    Ah well. Neat idea, wrong company doing it.

  • DDX2

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:33 pm PT

    how is the world going to get any where if game developers are going to do this

  • lageasy311

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:30 pm PT

    If the game is about shooting americans they can kiss my red white and blue ass!!!!!!

  • MasterManiac772

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:27 pm PT

    July 4. Yeah, I've heard that if you buy the game, you get a coupon for a free "lard-arse McSlurpy bowl" at KFC.

  • squarephreak

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:26 pm PT

    Why do people keep asking "What does this have to do with gaming?" on these different articles that are about games or game related stuff? Do you even bother to read the articles?

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:23 pm PT

    kina cool

  • TimSpot GameSpot staff member

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:22 pm PT

    @ demollyn - Uhhh... it's a game.

  • demollyon

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:20 pm PT

    what does gaming have to do with this?

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 12:11 pm PT

    I wonder how this will work and if it will turn out to be a M game.

    Some of the ideas sound good for a game but wonder if really will not be good might makes things worse for them ( Iran ).
    I hope not but we will see soon what happens from this.

    Nuclear weapons and Iranian Special Forces attempt to rescue a nuclear scientist from the clutches of US soldiers I have to wonder how mad some US people will get when a game like this comes out.Mind you its a game that will most likely never get to the US but that does not mean that it might make people up set with it ideas for a game.

    I would like to see how they work out a game like this but if not am fine without.

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