Concerns and protests from friends and family of US soldiers who have lost their lives in Afghanistan have ”earned the right to be listened to.”
EA executive producer Greg Goodwich wrote in an open letter both announcing and explaining the reason behind changing the name. While the name may be getting altered nothing else is as character models are unchanged, and IEDS are still in.
Pressure was continuing to mount on EA for its inclusion of the Taliban, even if they are only playable in multiplayer. Some have welcomed the change while others now criticise EA for caving in to hysteria whipped up by certain media circles.
Here’s Goodwich’s open letter:
In the past few months, we have received feedback from all over the world regarding the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor. We’ve received notes from gamers, active military, and friends and family of servicemen and women currently deployed overseas. The majority of this feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For this, the Medal of Honor team is deeply appreciative.
However, we have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force.
While this change should not directly affect gamers, as it does not fundamentally alter the gameplay, we are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice – this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service.
To all who serve – we appreciate you, we thank you, and we do not take you for granted. And to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines currently serving overseas, stay safe and come home soon.
Greg Goodrich
Executive Producer
Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC October 15th in Europe, and on the 12th in the US. A PC beta runs from today until the 7th and includes 2 multiplayer maps.
