‘Steamboat Willie’ Horror Game Devs Claim They Weren’t Dropping Nazi References

Just hours after Disney‘s copyright on the earliest version of Mickey Mouse expired, creators announced their intent to cash in on the likeness of the cartoon icon as he appears in his breakthrough 1928 animated short, Steamboat Willie. At least two Mickey-themed horror movies are reportedly in the works, though if last year’s dreadful Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is any indication, you’ll want to skip this next round of gimmicky carnage.

You may also think twice about playing a supposedly forthcoming horror/survival game that has attracted attention not only for its gruesome take on the now public-domain Steamboat Willie but what could well be a handful of Nazi dogwhistles. Initially titled Infestation 88, its developers at Nightmare Forge Games hastily retitled the game Infestation: Origins on Tuesday after many on social media pointed out that the number 88 — sometimes used as code for “Heil Hitler,” as “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet — looked highly suspicious in conjunction with other stylistic choices.

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Observers were particularly alarmed at Nightmare Forge’s descriptions of “exterminators” killing humanoid, ratlike “vermin” with pesticide — language and specifics that echoed the rhetoric and murderous violence of the Holocaust. “Is it just me or is ‘Infestation 88’ a very odd name for a game where you have to gas rats,” read one viral tweet.

Others claimed to have spotted a reference to an assault rifle used by German troops in World War II. And, while perhaps more of a stretch, a few accused the company of veiled usage of the number 14 — “The Fourteen Words” being a white supremacist slogan frequently invoked alongside the number 88. The game synopsis, for example, says that “Infestation 88 is an episodic, 1-4 player co-op survival horror game,” a phrase that almost combined the two numbers. And the Nightmare Forge team on their website identify as “industry veterans who have specialized in creating horror games since 2010,” or 14 years ago, yet offer no record of their experience on past projects.

Nightmare Forge did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and their website looks to be little more than a landing page for those curious about Infestation — it contains no names or identifying information about the people behind it. Though in a Discord server meant to host discussion of the game, a self-identified team member going by “Grim,” whose profile bears the label “Experienced Exterminator,” did make two announcements on Tuesday.

“Our game Infestation 88 is set in the 1980s, with the year 1988 chosen simply due to its symmetrical design in the game’s artwork/logo,” Grim wrote. “Unfortunately, we were unaware of any additional meaning the number ’88’ has. However, after learning about this, we’re changing the game’s name to Infestation: Origins. We apologize for our ignorance on this and appreciate that this was brought to our attention so we could address it ASAP!” The same message appeared on Nightmare Forge’s X/Twitter account, where users were skeptical of the response.

On Discord, Grim also addressed the “current lack of moderation in place,” noting that “any hateful speech or content in any regard will result in a ban.” Screenshots of previous discussion in the channel showed members apparently joking about preferred pronouns and making light of Nazism, asking “what’s wrong” with it and quipping that Nazis — unlike Steamboat Willie — “aren’t public domain yet.” One screenshot revealed a member seemingly repeating a racial slur. Some on the server got into arguments over whether the developers had intended to load the game with winks at Nazi culture or not.

Grim acknowledged that the chat had gone off the rails in a follow-up message to the Discord server Tuesday afternoon. “Due to the overwhelming number of posts and rule-breaking content, we’re temporarily pausing discussion until we have better moderation in place,” they wrote. “We hope to have things back online soon!” As of that announcement, other channels in the Discord were deleted.

The uproar over the possible coded meanings within Infestation has, for the moment, eclipsed criticism over another aspect of the game. As Motherboard reports, it shows all the signs of being a low-quality “asset flip” title, one quickly constructed with graphic models purchased from larger developers. The trailer’s voiceover was also created with an AI service. Nightmare Forge confirmed to Motherboard that it had bought digital assets and recorded the narration with AI, vowing that they would employ actual voice actors for the finished product.

Of course, that’s only if they get back on track after this contentious rollout by convincing the gaming community they never meant to spread a hateful message, and rather sought only to terrorize people with a monstrous version of proto-Mickey Mouse. Surely there’s a lesson here about trying to make a fast buck a “twisted” version of a beloved character and receiving way more attention than you bargained for. Or maybe that’s just the old Disney magic at work.

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