The controversial six-day military shooter’s shooting in Fallujah early next month

The controversial military shooter Six Days of Fallujah will be released in Steam Early Access on June 22nd.

The game was previously delayed in 2021 until 2022, but will now launch with four four-player co-op missions focusing specifically on “the experiences of US Marine Corps fireteams on the first day of battle.”

The game has been controversial since its first announcement due to its focus on realistically depicting the Battle of Fallujah, one of the bloodiest battles of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

There is an ad trailer – rather shocking – that you can watch below at your own discretion.

Peter Tamtey, head of publisher Victora, drew criticism for saying the game would not make a political statement, then shifted to arguing that the game “cannot be separated from politics”.

According to a press release, the game will require players to “conquer real-world scenarios.” It promises to be “a highly realistic tactical first-person shooter developed with the help of more than 100 Marines and soldiers who served in the Second Battle of Fallujah, as well as more than two dozen Iraqi civilians and soldiers.”

One of those soldiers is even quoted as saying, “The way we play video games right now is not the way people fight in real life,” said Sgt. Eddie Garcia, a Marine wounded during the Second Battle of Fallujah. “Six Days in Fallujah requires tactics and teamwork that is more like real combat than any other game I’ve played.”

Later, after the initial release, players will be able to play cooperatively as special ops or Iraqi soldiers fighting alongside coalition forces. Players will start encountering civilians during the battle.

To ensure combat was realistic, Victura used procedural generation in premises to ensure players never knew what to expect and implemented artificial intelligence to reverse rebel tactics. Dynamic lighting will simulate real weather and effects, while gameplay will allow players to handle missions like a sandbox.

Six Days in Fallujah was born 18 years ago, just months after the battle itself. The game was canceled in 2009 by the original publisher, Konami. Now, Victora is taking the reins with developer Highwire Games, which was founded by members of the original Halo and Destiny command.

The game is expected to be fully released in 2024 across PC and console.