Mobile game Sniper 3D Assassin has removed a level after it was highlighted in a HuffPost story. Sniper 3D Assassin is currently available for the iOS through the App Store. In the game, players take the role of a gun-for-hire who goes on missions eliminating targets are obtaining rewards.
The level is question is named "Breaking News." According to the mission briefing, a journalist has bribed a cop to get access to a briefcase full of sensitive information. The mission tasks the players with making the journalist "famous in a different way." Once players complete the mission, they get a final quote that says. "THAT'S A COVER STORY."
According to HuffPost, this level was brought to light by Jamal Jordan, a journalist at the New York Times. In a tweet, Jordan shared that he learned about the level after his nephew let him play the shooting game on an iPad. Given that his nephew was 10 years old, Jordan said he had a long talk with him after the discovery.
My nephew let me play an iPad shooting game with him. He chose the mission: It’s called “Breaking News,” and the objective is to shoot a journalist who just received documents from a police officer.
— Lil Uzi Hurt ? (@lostblackboy) May 18, 2019
The goal is to make the journalist “famous in a different way.” pic.twitter.com/nQy4Hzq97r
The HuffPost story added that the publication reached out to developer TFG Co. after publishing the initial story. TFG Chief Financial Officer Michael Mac-Vicar released a statement to HuffPost saying that their game is fictional and is targeted at a mature audience. Mac-Vicar went on to say that their company develops games that are both entertaining and fun to many users worldwide.
As a result of the story, TFG has removed the "Breaking News" level from the game.
While the move is laudable, one wonders how much of an impact it will do. The game was first released back in 2014, with this level already included. Not only that, this was one of the early levels in the game.
Still, this is a small victory given the issues being faced by journalists around the world. Death threats made against journalists have been increasing in recent years, and a gunman recently killed five people when he opened fire on the Capital Gazette newsroom back in June 2018. Unfortunately, this may not be the end of games that offer such levels and mission objectives.
First released in November 2014, Sniper 3D Assassin reached 10 million downloads within one month. By 2016, it was reported that the game was the most downloaded on the App Store.
