The digital game retailer has not clearly explained how the hate symbols made it into an email, but apologized for the "unfortunate visual association."
Holy hell, this does not look like an accident. This combination of runes does not just happen. Whoever did this at the company thought they could get away with it.
It sounds like they knew the most obvious one, from the first apology. Though they did leave that in anyway (emphasis added):
What was displayed in several devices as doppelrune is out of our control. ᛋ was displayed as ϟ on several devices (might display for you differently here as well just letting you know). We should pay more attention to checking it on a different systems and devices. I also recognize that placing two such runes next to each other could create an unfortunate association with symbols used by the Nazi regime. This was noticed before distribution, and out of respect for local sensitivities, the material was not sent to the German community.
The S rune is not the only issue. By combination of runes, I meant the whole thing. All of these runes have been used by Nazis and extensively so. While the rune used by the SS is the most well known, this is like a best-of of which runes Heinrich Himmler and modern Nazis are especially fond of.
Looking further into that other thread I see what you mean, it looks like the devs themselves realized the other icons (and even changed one for the game’s logo) but GOG just not have known that. I’ll have to update my reply, thank you!
This doesn’t even make sense when it’s about symbols that are illegal in one country. Not all German speakers live in Germany, not all people in Germany use the German language version of things.
But also not everyone with a .de domain lives in Germany. You can’t really accurately filter for this in a newsletter unless you know everyone’s location. So they just used the language, thinking that would catch most German citizens.
Someone else further down mentioned that it was likely the translators that caught the issue which would make more sense as to why the German translation was held up while it was still sent out in other languages (regardless of user location).
Holy hell, this does not look like an accident. This combination of runes does not just happen. Whoever did this at the company thought they could get away with it.
It sounds like they knew the most obvious one, from the first apology. Though they did leave that in anyway (emphasis added):
It’s worse to remind germans they were nazis than to blast nazi symbols at the rest of the world apparently.
The S rune is not the only issue. By combination of runes, I meant the whole thing. All of these runes have been used by Nazis and extensively so. While the rune used by the SS is the most well known, this is like a best-of of which runes Heinrich Himmler and modern Nazis are especially fond of.
Looking further into that other thread I see what you mean, it looks like the devs themselves realized the other icons (and even changed one for the game’s logo) but GOG just not have known that. I’ll have to update my reply, thank you!
That’s not even true. Am German, got the mail. (To a “.de” e-mail adress btw, so it’s not like it would have been hard to filter.)
AFAIK, it was not sent to people signed up for the German language newsletter. Filtered via language, not location.
This doesn’t even make sense when it’s about symbols that are illegal in one country. Not all German speakers live in Germany, not all people in Germany use the German language version of things.
But also not everyone with a .de domain lives in Germany. You can’t really accurately filter for this in a newsletter unless you know everyone’s location. So they just used the language, thinking that would catch most German citizens.
There is also a “location” in my GOG profile, wnich is set to Germany.
Someone else further down mentioned that it was likely the translators that caught the issue which would make more sense as to why the German translation was held up while it was still sent out in other languages (regardless of user location).
“We noticed it was some nazi shit but we did it anyway, except in Germany where it’s illegal.” Pretty wild defense.
They only apologize when they get caught. Everything else is “fine”.