Earlier this week, indie developer Nightmare Forge Games announced its new title Infestation 88, wasting no time capitalizing on Steamboat Willie becoming public domain. The game blew up on social media for its use of Disney's beloved mascot as a huge hulking monster players have to avoid, but people began to raise eyebrows over the game's name.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the number 88 is a "white supremacist numerical code" used by neo-Nazis to symbolize the phrase "Heil Hitler". The letter "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet, which stands to reason that 88 equals "HH". After basking in its newfound attention, Nightmare Forge Games quickly addressed the Nazi connotations of its game's name, and has changed the game's name to Infestation: Origins.

In a statement to Inverse, Nightmare Forge Games claimed that it was "unaware" of the implications that the number 88 would give off, and that the game was previously titled Infestation 88 in reference to the year the game is set. When asked whether the team behind the game are neo-Nazis themselves, it simply claimed "No, we are not."

Unfortunately, when announcing the game, we were unaware of the additional implications associated with the number 88. Our game is set in the 1980s, with the year 1988 being chosen simply for its symmetrical design in our game's artwork.

That would usually be enough to put the situation to bed, but mysteries still surround the project regarding who is actually behind development. Nightmare Forge Games is supposedly made up of a team of "industry veterans" who have been making horror games for over a decade, but none of the staff is disclosed on the studio's website. When asked about this, Nightmare Forge Games said it was to "maintain privacy" due to the large amount of social media attention.

There are also claims on Twitter that the game's official Discord has "out/proud neo-Nazis" on its mod team, though there's little in the way of proof besides some tasteless "edgy" jokes. Others have pointed out that the number 14 (also considered a neo-Nazi hate symbol) appears a lot in the game's marketing, with the title "Infestation 88" being made up of 14 characters and the studio being made up of industry veterans that supposedly have 14 years of experience.

Another example that people have raised concerns over is the game's description, which claimed that the game is a 1-4 player co-op title (another reference to the number 14) that has you exterminating an "outbreak of vermin". It seems as though this description has since been changed, though another reference to the number 14 can be seen in the found footage section of the game's trailer, which was captured on October 13, 1988, meaning the game likely takes place on October 14.

It gets to the point where you need to start busting out the red string, but it's worth noting that potential Nazi dog whistles like these are usually deliberately obscure and confusing so those behind them can feign ignorance. It's entirely possible that people are seeing something that isn't there and that it's all just a huge misunderstanding, but the general feeling is that there are too many coincidences piling up for it to be just one minor mistake.

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Infestation 88 Has Already Changed Its Name Due To Nazi Connotations - TheGamer