GOG Issues Apology Over Newsletter Mishap
Digital game retailer GOG has issued a formal apology after a recent newsletter inadvertently included symbols with strong historical ties to Nazism. The controversial symbols appeared in the subject line of an email promoting “The End of the Sun,” an adventure game centered on a Slavic fire mage with time-bending abilities.
Unfortunate Visual Association Sparks Outcry
The email’s subject line, intended to promote the Slavic-themed game, followed the phrase “Slavic adventure” with a sequence of four runes. Critics pointed out that the latter two runes could be interpreted as either Proto-Germanic Sowilo runes, symbolizing the sun, or as a double Siegrune, a symbol famously adopted by the Nazi German Schutzstaffel (SS). This particular symbol has since been co-opted by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
GOG has described the incident as an “unfortunate visual association.” Many users expressed dismay and disbelief on social media platforms following the newsletter’s distribution.
GOG Details Series of Errors
In a public statement released on June 5th, GOG acknowledged a “series of mistakes” leading to the error. The company stated that the runes were placed incorrectly, the wrong logo for “The End of the Sun” was used, and the newsletter’s display on mobile devices was not adequately checked. Furthermore, feedback from their German Quality Assurance team was not properly integrated into other languages.
GOG confirmed that the send-out was halted as soon as the error was detected, with approximately half of their email subscriber base receiving the erroneous message. The company is reportedly revising its review processes to implement more stringent checks and prevent similar mistakes in the future.
Developer Statement Addresses Concerns
A representative from GOG, speaking on Reddit, provided further clarification. The representative, identified as Polish, emphasized their awareness of the cultural and historical sensitivities surrounding the Sowilo rune. They reiterated that its inclusion was intended solely as a nod to the sun, a central theme in the promoted game.
The representative explained that the visual appearance of the runes as a “doppelrune” was a device-specific rendering issue, stating, “What was displayed in several devices as doppelrune is out of our control. ᛋ was displayed as ϟ on several devices.” They acknowledged the need for better cross-device testing and recognized that placing two such runes together could indeed create an unfortunate association with Nazi symbolism.
The statement also noted that the material was intentionally withheld from the German community out of respect for local sensitivities. The representative argued against solely defining ancient symbols by their modern misuse, stating, “I do not believe that symbols with a history spanning more than a thousand years should be defined solely by their misuse in the modern history.” They concluded by asserting that the promotion never carried an extremist message, but was a reference to the historical symbol of the sun.
Game Developers Deny Extremist Links
The developers of “The End of the Sun,” a Polish couple known as Kinga and Kuba, have also released a comprehensive statement addressing the controversy. They emphatically denied any connection to neo-Nazis and confirmed that the game itself does not feature SS symbols or the Nazi swastika.
The developers explained that while the game acknowledges the swastika’s ancient origins, they deliberately avoided using such symbols. They highlighted that GOG’s placement of the SS symbol next to “Slavic adventure” in the newsletter exacerbated the issue. Additionally, they pointed out that GOG mistakenly used an older version of their logo.
Kinga and Kuba stressed that they had no control over the content of GOG’s newsletters, suggesting that someone at GOG may have added “cool” Slavic symbols without fully researching their modern cultural meanings. They expressed deep regret for the misunderstanding, which they fear has negatively linked their game and Slavic culture to a terrifying ideology, despite their years of dedication to promoting Slavic culture.
Kolovrat Symbol and Logo Controversy
The developers further elaborated on the use of an older logo that featured a kolovrat, another Slavic rune associated with the sun that has unfortunately been linked to the swastika. They stated that they treated the kolovrat as a symbol of the “God of the Sun” and included a trivia fact in the game acknowledging the co-option of ancient symbols by the Nazis, but never used the Nazi swastika or the double S symbol.
According to the developers, they transitioned to a more universally recognized rosette design for their logo last year after receiving pushback from potential reviewers, particularly in Russia and Germany, which made them aware of the kolovrat’s problematic associations.
