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[IbizaPocholo]

EA Is Changing the Name of a Nazi in 'Battlefield V' That Belonged to a Real-Life Resistance Fighter

The company also claims that Wilhelm Franke is not a Nazi, just German.

www.vice.com

EA is changing the name of a purchasable Nazi avatar in its online WWII shooter Battlefield V after learning the character, WIlhelm Franke, shares a name with a real-life anti-fascist resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.

In Battlefield V, Franke is a ruthless, overcoat-wearing fighter with a penchant for explosives. In a promotional video, he kills Allied fighters with a pistol before dramatically letting a man bleed out on the ground. Players can purchase the Franke avatar for about $10 worth of virtual money. As journalist Dom Schott pointed out this week, the real-life Franke was actually a resistance fighter in Dresden who was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944.

In an emailed statement, an EA spokesperson said that the company will be changing Wilhelm Franke's name and apologized for the connection to the real-life Franke.

"We’ve become aware that one of the names of our Elites, Wilhelm Franke, shares the name of a real life resistance member in Germany during the Second World War. We want to apologize as we certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to him. We are in the process now of changing the name of our Elite in the game," the statement said.

The company also claimed that Franke—who appears to be sporting an iron cross, an insignia used by Nazi Germany (and which has since been used by bikers, skateboard brands, and modern fascist movements) on his right breast—is not a Nazi at all, and that the company is not making any politcial statements.

"The aforementioned Elite, Wilhelm Franke, whose name we’re changing is not a Nazi, but a German solider similar to ones we already have in the game. In Battlefield V, we’re not making any political statements in relation to the real life events of WW2 and there are no swastikas in the game.”

 

[Geki-D]

You'd think in a WW2 game, it would always be a good idea to stay away from any variation of the name "Frank" when naming a Nazi character, for obvious reasons...

 

[Texas Pride]

Fucking idiots. Self sabotaging fucking idiots.

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

Wait.. so they was happy with having it be a nazi name but not when it was a resistance fighter?

I'd understand the OTHER way round..

 

[captainraincoat]

well they certainly went all in trying to appease the sjw crowd and look where it got them.

 

[ZehDon]

I'd recommend doing historical research as part of your historical game, but this is Battlefield V, so this type of lapse isn't surprising.

 

[Starfield]

"In Battlefield V, we’re not making any political statements in relation to the real life events of WW2 and there are no swastikas in the game.”

This is the most fucked up sentence I've ever heard. Lets just take out all the political agendas of a timeline that was LIFECHANGING for the whole world just to make a dumb and fun shooter out of it. Everyone stand up and clap for capitalism \o/

 

[TGO]

First they turn war heroes into women with Prosthetic arms.
Now resistance fighters into a nazis.
Whatever next.

 

[Ban Puncher]

Expect EA to rename him Fritzy McSauerkraut or Hans Hasselhoff and call it a day.

 

[mcz117chief]

First they turn war heroes into women with Prosthetic arms.
Now resistance fighters into a nazis.
Whatever next.

This is still nothing compared to what they did with the story mode. Saying SAS precursors were just criminals and gang members, completely erasing the history of Nordic resistance fighters to shoehorn a woman into the story and declare that we deleted all evidence that black people fought for France in WW2.

 

[Zannegan]

"In Battlefield V, we’re not making any political statements in relation to the real life events of WW2 and there are no swastikas in the game.”

This is the most fucked up sentence I've ever heard. Lets just take out all the political agendas of a timeline that was LIFECHANGING for the whole world just to make a dumb and fun shooter out of it. Everyone stand up and clap for capitalism \o/

What on earth does that have to do with capitalism? Or is that just this E3 season's punching bag? I'll admit, it will make a refreshing change from SJW.

 

[SpartanForce]

"The aforementioned Elite, Wilhelm Franke, whose name we’re changing is not a Nazi, but a German solider similar to ones we already have in the game. In Battlefield V, we’re not making any political statements in relation to the real life events of WW2 and there are no swastikas in the game.”

Well... most Wehrmacht soldiers were indoctrinated nazis as well as the waffen-ss. Shocking I know.

 

[Screamer-RSA]

Players can purchase the Franke avatar for about $10 worth of virtual money

I read that as "$10 worth of virtue money" for some reason.....

 

[Shifty]

Protip: Google the names you make up.

It might just surprise you.

 

[Lastyou1]

Weren't they the same people who depicted all able, cis, straight, white men as EVIL racists, even among the allies?


I mean, are we actually surprised?

 

[Fox Mulder]

It's a pretty German sounding name I could have made up. They could have researched it, but most works of fiction have that coincidence clause in the credits.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Just rename him to Franka Wilhelm. Crisis avoided and you'll have a new trans character.

 

[username12]

How are there no swastikas in World War II?

 

[II_JumPeR_I]

How are there no swastikas in World War II?

Its DICE vision of WW2. Dont blame em.

 

[SpartanForce]

Just rename him to Franka Wilhelm. Crisis avoided and you'll have a new trans character.

fuck I was drinking water when reading this, now I have to clear the monitor LMAO

 

[FStubbs]

"In Battlefield V, we’re not making any political statements in relation to the real life events of WW2 and there are no swastikas in the game.”

This is the most fucked up sentence I've ever heard. Lets just take out all the political agendas of a timeline that was LIFECHANGING for the whole world just to make a dumb and fun shooter out of it. Everyone stand up and clap for capitalism \o/

I think it's bad that fighting Nazis is actually a political statement.