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Bono: I wanna blow up the walls that hold me inside 10 Jul, 2006, 21:01 / 2 comments

By jp-30


In perhaps Bono's first appearance in Mojo news, the U2 singer has become embroiled in controversy over funding of games developers Bioware/Pandemic.
SPIN.com: While Bono is usually touted for his advocacy and relief work, the singer has recently come under fire for his involvement in a video game that depicts a war-torn Venezuela. According to the New York Post, a private equity firm that Bono established invested $300 million in Pandemic Studios, which made the game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. In the game, the player takes on the role of a mercenary sent to a "war-torn world" where a "power-hungry tyrant messes with Venezuela's oil supply," according to Pandemic.

Among the groups speaking out about the matter is the Venezuela Solidarity Network, which is made up of more than 50 U.S.-based organizations. They've asked Bono to halt production of the game, saying it "is designed to demean the Venezuelan people, to undermine the democratically elected government of Venezuela." The group noted that the game might be used as a recruiting tool since it is aimed at teens and "20-something males, the same target market for military recruiting."
Of course LucasArts published the first Mercenaries game which probably sparked similar outrage from North Korea but didn't have a tenouous link to a famous pop star to give the story any legs.

Despite LucasArts President Jim Ward publically saying that Mercenaries is the sort of non-Star Wars IP they're going to spin into a franchise, it seems the deal soured and Bioware/Pandemic are currently shopping for another publisher. LucasArts are probably pretty thankful right now that they're not caught up in this, freeing up valuable resources to develop more Star Wars games.

Source: Google news

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2 Comments

  • itchythesamurai on 10 Jul, 2006, 21:37…
    Heh, I think America could use a few more recruiting tools. Iraq isn't very inviting...
  • jp-30 on 10 Jul, 2006, 21:02…
    "The group noted that the game might be used as a recruiting tool since it is aimed at teens and "20-something males, the same target market for military recruiting."

    Ahahahaha.