Ion Fury is a throwback first-person shooter that mimics 90s games like Duke Nukem 3D, and it has earned a decent amount of praise since its recent launch on PC. However, the game has found itself the center of controversy following the discovery of potentially offensive jokes found in-game as well as comments by some of its developers on Discord.
The 3D Realms-published Ion Fury has been accused of using homophobic language for jokes in-game. This includes shampoo bottles that say "OGAY" instead of "Olay," along with secret text that contained a much harsher homophobic slur. As for the comments of the developers, they were accused of making sexist and transphobic comments on Discord. This included one of the developers saying, "mutilating a perfectly healthy body WHILE you have depression and other big mental issues won't [cause suicides]?"
Studio Voidpoint and publisher 3D Realms have issued apologies for both the "jokes" found in-game and for the comments made by members of the development team. 3D Realms made it clear that it was unaware this kind of content was in Ion Fury at all, and has promised that future contracts will give the publisher the power to completely sever its relationship with a studio if it doesn't "abide by our zero-tolerance policy for hate speech." Additionally, Voidpoint will be donating $10,000 of Ion Fury's earnings to The Trevor Project, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to LGBTQ suicide prevention.
This isn't the first time that Ion Fury has found itself at the center of controversy. As some may recall, Ion Fury used to be called Ion Maiden, but a $2 million lawsuit from the Iron Maiden band forced the name to be changed to Ion Fury.
However, it remains to be seen if this latest controversy will have a negative impact on Ion Fury in the long-term. So far, the game has earned strong reviews, with many comparing it favorably to the 90s first-person shooters that inspired it. But its momentum could be stopped if enough people become upset at the comments by the developers and the homophobic language used in the game.
Ion Fury is out now on PC with a planned release for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One later this year.
Source: Kotaku, Eurogamer, Resetera (1), (2)