The newly released game Penguin Colony, from Māori studio Origame Digital, has taken a firm stance against the ongoing Palestinian genocide by Israel, banning sales within Israel and directly criticizing the broader games industry for its silence on the matter. This follows the studio's previous work, Umurangi Generation, which also featured strong anti-colonial and anti-neoliberal themes.
Penguin Colony is described as a walking simulator where players navigate an Antarctic setting inspired by Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. The game reframes academic explorers from Lovecraft's story as Nazi occultists and highlights Māori culture and survival, opening with Aboriginal land acknowledgements and noting its development on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung land.
Upon completing the game, players are presented with a message in the credits: "The cowardice of the Games Industry during the ongoing genocide of Palestine by Israel will be recorded by the art it makes." This statement directly challenges the lack of vocal opposition from many within the games development and media spheres.
In addition to the in-game message, Penguin Colony will not be sold in Israel. Publisher Fellow Traveler explained on Steam that this decision is intended as a demonstration of solidarity with Palestine in the absence of more organized sanctions. The studio fully supports this decision.
The development team's actions highlight a growing sentiment among some creators to speak out against what they describe as the ongoing Palestinian genocide. This stance echoes recent actions by other developers, such as House House, who announced they would not be selling their game Big Walk on Xbox due to Microsoft's alleged complicity with the Israeli military through its technology offerings. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has identified Microsoft and Xbox as a priority target.
Naphtali Faluklner, a developer at Origame Digital, encouraged other creators and players to take similar actions, stating, "Everyone should do this. Ask your favorite devs to do this. See how they respond."