Mercenaries 2 Controversy

- Pandemic Studios, the game's developers, maintain it is a work of fiction.
- Electronic Arts, the game's publisher, referred to the controversy as "comical."

World in Flames, the sequel to the console game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, has been embroiled in controversy since it was announced the game would be set in Venezuela. The game's story line follows a group of mercenaries invading a fictionalized version of Venezuela, governed by Hugo Chavez, a critic of American foreign policy. Venezuelan officials have criticized the game as typifying a U.S. government-inspired propaganda campaign that outlines plans for a potential invasion and overthrow of the existing government.Max Console: EA: All the controversy around Mercenaries 2 is comical (August 30, 2008)
Quotes

"I think the U.S. government knows how to prepare campaigns of psychological terror so they can make things happen later." --Congressman Ismael GarciaXequted: Mercenaries 2 Raises Ire of Venezuelan Lawmakers (May 25, 2006)
""Pandemic has no ties to the US government. Pandemic Studios is a private company, focusing solely on the development of interactive entertainment." --Greg Richardson, Pandemic Studios Vice President of Commercial Operations Xequted: Mercenaries 2 Raises Ire of Venezuelan Lawmakers (May 25, 2006)