Lately, there seems to be no shortage of controversial firings and job terminations over hate posts related to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Now, it appears this kind of cancel culture has encroached further into the gaming industry because Charlie Kirk fans are calling for Bethesda to apologize and fire the person who posted an Indiana Jones and the Great Circle promo image about anti-fascism.
The original post has since been deleted due to the backlash, but it was an image of Indiana Jones in first-person view petting a cat while saying, “You don’t care much about Fascists, do you?” The tweet was posted on September 14, a few days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. This proximity likely led Charlie Kirk fans and sympathizers to associate the Indiana Jones promo with an anti-Charlie Kirk post, given how many leftist groups have labeled Kirk as a fascist.
So while Bethesda’s original Indiana Jones promo was deleted quickly to avoid further backlash, many Charlie Kirk fans are now bombarding Bethesda’s older X posts demanding an apology. Some were also calling for the person who posted the image to be fired. Others have sworn off Bethesda games because, apparently, the company has offended them.
“I think I’ll pass on the next Elder Scrolls,” says replied another X user
“It’s over for Bethesda”
“I just uninstalled all of my Bethesda games.”
“Fire Todd Howard too”
So far, Bethesda has kept silent regarding this issue, though deleting the original post was loud enough already, and it’s clear that the studio doesn’t want to further divide or even possibly offend some of its fanbase. The post also didn’t explicitly condemn Charlie Kirk — only fascists, but it appears some Charlie Kirk fans have made some kind of connection between the two.
People Online Were Defending Indiana Jones’ Dislike of Fascists
Of course, there’s also the fact that Indiana Jones has always been anti-fascist, and in his movies, as well as the Bethesda game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Indy has fought Nazis and fascists (including Soviet and Mussolini fascists) both literally and symbolically. Indy referencing fascists is also pretty common, though Bethesda’s timing might have contributed to the backlash. Still, some Bethesda fans are being more rational and level-headed:
“ITS INDIANA JONES ARE YOU F***ING STUPID?!?!!!”
“I’m confused, how does this kitty video relate to Charlie kirk?”
It’s worth noting that Bethesda’s promo for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was for the The Order of Giants DLC, where Indy goes to Mussolini’s Italy or Rome for one of his adventures. Naturally, he also fights fascists in Italy, which, back in WW2, was an ally of Nazi Germany.
Meanwhile, in other game studios, game devs have actually been fired for making a Charlie Kirk joke after his assassination, such as the case for Ghost of Yotei‘s dev, Drew Harrison. Harrison, a 10-year veteran of Sucker Punch Productions, was let go after his post saying, “I hope the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back.”
