Origame Digital, the studio behind the acclaimed game Umurangi Generation, has blocked the sale of its new title, Penguin Colony, in Israel. The decision was made to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine.
Penguin Colony, a Lovecraftian horror game where players experience events through the eyes of a penguin, is published by Fellow Traveller. The publisher confirmed the game's unavailability in Israel via a Steam community thread, responding to a user query. "While in general we seek to bring our games to as many potential players as possible, we believe strongly that developers have the right to control where their games are sold," the publisher stated. "In this case, the developer asked us to block sale in Israel. In the absence of more organised sanctions, this act is intended to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine. We fully support their decision."
The studio's political stance is further emphasized in a post-credits scene in Penguin Colony, which reads: "The cowardice of the Games Industry during the ongoing genocide of Palestine by Isreal will be recorded by the art it makes." Origame Digital has a history of expressing political views both within its games and through public statements. The game also begins with a land acknowledgement statement recognizing the Woiwurrung land it was created on and paying respect to Indigenous elders.
Penguin Colony places players in the role of a penguin whose home is threatened by rival human factions seeking an ancient being. The gameplay involves shifting between different penguins in the colony to observe and evade the unfolding chaos. The game is currently available on PC, with console versions planned for 2027.
This action follows a similar instance where House House, the studio behind Big Walk, cited Microsoft's ties to Israel's military, including providing cloud and AI systems used in conflict, as a reason for the game not having an Xbox version due to Microsoft being a target of the BDS boycott.