Hangar 13 did its best to clarify that it wasn’t making any political statements with Mafia III. The developer went as far as including a note at the beginning of the game stating that it merely wanted to accurately capture the era. However, the studio has still managed to upset some folks – not in the US, mind you, but in Northern Ireland.
Several political figures from the region have called for the game to be banned because of its “sick glamorization of terrorism” specifically in the mission “IRA Don’t Ask.” For those who aren’t aware, the Irish Republican Army is labelled a terrorist organization especially for its bombing campaign. Without spoiling anything, in the aforementioned side mission, Irish character Thomas Burke has to deliver cars to his IRA contacts. At one point he says, “keep the Belfast law guessing when things go boom.”
Several politicians including Democratic Union Party’s Jeffrey Donaldson claim that the game trivializes innocent people’s suffering, with Belfast UUP Councillor Jim Rodgers stating that 2K and Hangar 13 are exploiting tragedy for money.
2K and Hangar 13 have yet to respond.
[Source: The Irish News via Eurogamer]
