Fuck NO Video Games • "Hatred" is a genocide simulator developed by...

“Hatred” is a genocide simulator developed by Neo-Nazis

Note: this post has been extensively updated based on feedback from our readers. This may not show up in reblogs sourcing earlier versions.

“Hatred” is an independent PC game by a group of Polish developers. In order to set it apart for promotional reasons, the developers have stated that they are committed to “pure gameplay”, claiming that mass murder of civilians by an angry disenfranchised man is more “honest” or somehow free from political narrative, unlike other modern games.

Hatred is not apolitical. In fact, the opposite is true - it’s a game about glorifying violent racism and white supremacy. Consider the game’s trailer, which conspicuously lingers on the white protagonist brutally murdering and mutilating people of color.

In this photo of the development team, we can see that one of the developers wears a shirt depicting a controversial anti-Communist military group. Though the Żołnierze wyklęci guerilla movement is remembered as heroes by national institutions, they are also frequently lionized by right-wing politicians and activists in modern Poland.

CEO and Animator Jarosław Zieliński has prominently displayed an endorsement on his public Facebook page of the Polska Liga Obrony: an established nationalist Islamophobic, anti-immigration hate group.

Gameplay designer Jakub Stychno is a supporter of the fascistic Obóz Narodowo Radykalny, as well as the homophobic, nationalistic Młodzież Wszechpolska.

FX artist Marcin Kaźmierczak is also a supporter of Młodzież Wszechpolska, and of several anti-social justice, anti-gay Facebook pages. (Including a right-wing boycott of a Polish boxer who supports gay rights.)

Level designer and lighting artist Cyprian Listowski has another job as a tattoo designer; two of his original designs include symbolism commonly associated with right-wing groups. One depicts a sonnenrad, a sunwheel symbol popular among Neo-Nazis. The other incorporates a słoneczko (an Early Slavic variation on the swastika appropriated by nationalists) and an “othala rune”, framed within a larger “life rune”.

Despite using registered marks held by the ESRB and Epic’s Unreal Engine attempting to legitimize their project, there is no working relationship between the studio and either organization. In a statement provided to Gamespot, Epic Games stated that “the video is using the trademarked Unreal Engine 4 logo without permission from Epic, and we’ve asked for the removal of our logo from all marketing associated with this product.”

Journalists and commentators alike do the industry a disservice by obfuscating the developer’s racially charged political hate in deference to the otherwise well-trod issue of violence in games. In doing so, they are playing into the exact type of controversy its developers have sought to capitalize on.

This story is a submission from one of our readers. If there’s an issue you think FNVG should cover, you can find our contact information on the About page.

Update: I have expanded this post to include right-wing connections among other Destructive Creations staff. In addition, the tip originally sent to FNVG stated that the “cursed soldiers” were associated with the Freikorps, a German military volunteer force. While the Freikorps were certainly active in post-WWI Poland, the group was purged by the Nazi Party in 1934. The mistake in the original submission may arise from the fact that the term “Freikorps” has been used to refer more generally to volunteer military units, including anti-Communist paramilitaries. I must apologize for this oversight, and for oversimplifying this situation.