PUBG Mobile apologises and removes Hand of the Almighty card following backlash

Krafton has officially issued an apology regarding the addition of the Hand of the Almighty card in PUBG Mobile.

The publisher has removed the item from the game, which was added with the 4.4 update, and reiterated its respect for the “values, traditions, and practices” of its players.

“PUBG MOBILE would like to address the concerns over the name of an item that was recently updated to the game. We are deeply sorry to our players and appreciate the feedback we got from the community,” Krafton stated officially. 

Moreover, the company also assured players that it will further “strengthen its content vetting processes” to prevent the addition of items that may be considered sensitive to communities.

“At PUBG MOBILE, we value and respect all religions and strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone,” the publisher added.

“We will continue to listen to our players as we further review our content and strengthen our content vetting processes to ensure our game is sensitive to different religions, cultures and practices.”

The Hand of the Almighty card was considered offensive to the Islamic religion, as members of the community believed that the term should not be used as a marketing tool.

The controversy quickly sparked discussions online, with many Muslim players urging Krafton to take immediate action.

Accidental Religious References in Games Are Not New

With so many communities and religions around the world, the unintentional addition of sensitive content to games is not entirely shocking.

While some instances are difficult to predict, others can clearly be seen as highly offensive to the player base.

For instance, Call of Duty players once found pages from Islam’s religious text, the Quran, scattered on the floor in one of the Zombies maps. The developers later apologised to the community and removed them from the game.

In such situations, the best approach is to raise concerns with the developers so they can amend the content or remove it entirely.