Infestation '88 Renamed as Developers Disavow 'Nazism and Hate in Any Form' [Update]

ign.com:

Update: Infestation '88 has been officially renamed Infestation: Origins following blowblack over its references to Neo-Nazi ideology. In a statement to IGN, Nightmare Forge Games reiterated that the original name was meant to reflect the year "1988," adding, "Unfortunately, at the time of its announcement, we were unaware of any additional meanings the number '88' has. Through feedback from the community, we learned it did, and therefore made this name change ASAP."

We want to apologize for our ignorance on this topic and appreciate that it was brought to our attention so we could address it. There is no intentional use of Nazi symbolism in our game nor studio, and we'll continue to address any concerns as they arise. We strongly stand against Nazism and hate in any form."

The original story continues below.

The developers behind the game announced as Infestation 88, a new Mickey Mouse horror game announced shortly after the character entered the public domain, are responding to claims that it contains Neo-Nazi references and other problematic content.

In separate interviews with Motherboard and Kotaku, the developers at Nightmare Forge Games, who declined to reveal their identities "for the sake of maintaining privacy," claimed that the references to "88" — a common Neo-Nazi dogwhistle — were unintentional. The developers also responded to claims of asset flipping and AI-generated voices, which have been in the news recently amid controversies like The Day Before.

"Our game is set in the 1980s, with the year 1988 being chosen simply for its symmetrical design in our game’s artwork,” a developer spokesperson told Kotaku. “Therefore, the 88 strictly represents the year 1988; no additional connotations are intended. We are in