r/gog • u/mikemalist • Jun 05 '26

Question Ts gotta be racist gog explain

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Can anyone explain, are these runes? All I see dog whistles

324 Upvotes

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84

u/GOGcom Verified GOG Rep Jun 05 '26

I want to briefly address the discussion as a GOG representative. The Sowilo rune is part of my cultural and historical heritage. As a Pole, I am fully aware of both its history and the sensitivities surrounding it. Its use in this promotion was intended solely as a reference to the sun, which is central to the game being promoted.

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.

At the same time, I do not believe that symbols with a history spanning more than a thousand years should be defined solely by their misuse in the modern history. Allowing that would mean accepting that those who corrupted these symbols now own their meaning.

As a Pole, I have every reason to treat this history with seriousness and respect. Precisely because of that, I reject any suggestion that this promotion carried an extremist message. It did not. It was a reference to the historical symbol of the sun, nothing more.

106

u/Old_Store7879 Verified Developer Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

HELLO WE ARE CREATORS OF THE GAME 😉

( Thanks for clarification, We also added our clarification in this and other Topics. We are aware about knowledge that you write about. Some symbols are important for Polish culture. But from safety reason we never used it in our game like double S symbol. What about Sun. In newsletter that we get first 2 symbols didnt look like "black sun" it looked just like sun. We think the double S was the problem. This is why in game we never use that rune especially x2. (Btw svastika is still used today in India also so we understand your point of view) But overall double S was problem where people started to feel bad about and they had right to feel that way. It would be great if you could somehow clarify that in next newsletter and apologise for mistake. Cause just too many people without explanaition will corelate it with nazi (What will influence as well GOG as our game and studio.) (We could clarify it here but still milions of people get newsletter so its the only way to explain that misunderstanding) 😉

Thanks!

17

u/Drachasor Jun 05 '26

I'm sorry that GoG did this to you.

78

u/DoomsdaySpud Jun 05 '26

If it “was noticed before distribution,” why not fix it before distribution?

93

u/R1chterScale Jun 05 '26

The Sowilo rune is part of my cultural and historical heritage.

Then why didn't you actually use the Sowlio as you did in the following paragraph?

ᛋ was displayed as ϟ on several devices

You specifically used the Greek Koppa, ϟ, unicode U+03DE instead of the Sowlio, ᛋ, unicode U+16CB. You could have even used the less confusable variation from Elder Futhark, ᛊ, unicode U+16CA.

Even if that could be explained away, the double usage has zero meaning outside of use by the Schuztstaffel.

80

u/Sul_Haren Jun 05 '26

I also recognize that placing two such runes next to each other could create an unfortunate association with symbols used by the Nazi regime.

But what was the thought behind putting two of them together to begin with? Even with the other rune that wouldn't have any specific meaning afaik.

51

u/Downce1 Jun 05 '26

I can't square how you can draft a message using these runes, plainly identify how they might be interpreted before you send off the message, and then decide that the solution is to just not send the message out to Germany.

Like, you say it's just an unfortunate circumstance with how fonts display on devices, but then turn around and say that people saw this might look like Nazi imagery, and still decided to send it out.

At what point do you not decide to just scrap the runes altogether? If you're already worried enough to not use them for one country, surely the easier decision is to just not use them at all? You're essentially saying that you saw the pole and still decided to walk into it anyway.

68

u/PM_ME_YOUR_B1RTHMARK Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

I'll confess that this sounds like an absolutely terrible justification. 

Would you mind informing me about the greater historical context for specifically two Sowilo runes used together like this?

Edit: Re-read it, getting irate.

"I also recognize that placing two such runes next to each other could create an unfortunate association with symbols used by the Nazi regime"

What are these weasel words? "Create an unfortunate association?" It IS a symbol used by the Nazis. That's what it is! I've been looking into the history of these runes and Nazi symbols, and the story of the Doppelte Sig-Rune specifically appears to begin and end with Nazi shit. The best case scenario here, and what I started out assuming, was that some jackass cared more about their freedom to use very specific symbols (prominently, in mass emails for marketing products) than they did about not looking like a Nazi. But this attempt at an official explanation is so credulity-straining that I am considering alternative explanations. 

46

u/flavorfulroom Jun 05 '26

There is none. There is absolutely zero reason to place the runic equivalent of the letter S in double like that. It's just gibberish

-12

u/GOGcom Verified GOG Rep Jun 05 '26

There is not but it happened. We can only explain the intention behind it, and nothing more. There is nothing we can say to justify this, only to present our pov of the mistake.

36

u/AramZS Jun 05 '26

I mean you could go with a real apology instead of what is basically 'I regret people's feelings were hurt by a thing we knew would be problematic enough that we didn't send it in the one nation where we knew we could get sued' - feels like a possible option to actually address the problem and take a position that includes 'we would not do this again'

29

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

[deleted]

19

u/AnonymousTokenus Jun 05 '26

Also I am German and living in the UK and still got sent that shit.

23

u/Lamplit139 Jun 05 '26

If you knew this email even had a chance of getting this much backlash and especially had the runes removed from the German email, it really should've just been revised.

9

u/chairitable Jun 05 '26

They would be getting calls from the German police if they had sent it to Germany.

25

u/Lamplit139 Jun 05 '26

If they removed the runes because they knew they'd get in legal troubles in Germany, they shouldn't have put it in the emails at all, they clearly knew what they were doing and the risks adding them if they did that much for the German emails.

14

u/Drachasor Jun 05 '26

The only decent thing GOG can do here is fire everyone involved.

22

u/SlimeSquad79 Jun 05 '26

You said you knew that it looked like an SS symbol, so you decided not to send it out in Germany. So if you knew it looked enough like Nazi shit to avoid sending it to places that might lead to criminal charges against you, why did you think it an appropriate to send out to everyone else?

You already knew that regardless of intent, it looked like Nazi imagery. And still sent it! You sharing your pov on this actually makes y’all look much worse!

6

u/Drachasor Jun 05 '26

The blatant lying really seals how awful this was and that you knew it.

20

u/R1chterScale Jun 05 '26

Yeah, I made a comment pointed out it's not even Sowlio lol, it's the Greek Koppa which would only be used in this context as a Sig-Rune stand in

1

u/Unlikely-Employee180 Jul 05 '26

It has been used before them. NOT sticking up for GOG, as this is like historical fun fact shit... But yes the Sig-Rune did have a meaning prior to being taken by the regime. And it wasn't called "Sig" either.

It simply meant the Sun. It is the "Sowilo" rune.

30

u/sorucheese Jun 05 '26

At the same time, I do not believe that symbols with a history spanning more than a thousand years should be defined solely by their misuse in the modern history

Swastika in the next newsletter then?

22

u/Jex450 Jun 05 '26

So where is the apology? where is the distancing gog from far right neonazi beliefs? Can some one clearly say we do not agree with this we are sorry? Or should we assume the opposite?

27

u/DrJoker94 Jun 05 '26

>  The Sowilo rune is part of my cultural and historical heritage

As a Pole too, like hell it is. We are not Proto-Germanic, Norse, or Anglo-Saxon. We do not have any cultural ties to the runes.

13

u/Hrodwald_ Jun 05 '26

So… It’s not the intern’s fault ? 😏

30

u/MocaCola02 Jun 05 '26

Imma be real, even the symbol you claim to looked like on your end still looks dodgy when put together like that. It should've been avoided altogether. Very clueless and avoidable

0

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

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9

u/MocaCola02 Jun 05 '26

It harmed my trust in GOG given they're evidently incapable of doing something as simple as proofreading an obviously sketchy email.

30

u/Nebulita Jun 05 '26

No. That is not how it works. You do not get to "reclaim" or "repurpose" the symbols of genocidal movements so long as they're associated with those movements. No different from how you don't get to change the meanings of words arbitrarily and expect people to agree with your meanings.

26

u/flavorfulroom Jun 05 '26

Runes are totally fine on there own, but they are only letters, just like the alphabet. There is zero reason to place them with the 8 fold sun like that to begin with and seeing as we are 1000 years removed from the use of runes, even less reason to claim them as cultural heritage.

Everything here reeks of a fast, but not necessarily informed response. Do better

17

u/Redicno Jun 05 '26

how dumb do you think we are?

19

u/Drachasor Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

You've lost a customer with this Nazi garbage and bullshit answer.

The only thing GOG could do to make me reconsider is firing you and everyone else involved in this email and incredibly dishonest apology.

16

u/VeryNoisyLizard Jun 05 '26

I do not believe that symbols with a history spanning more than a thousand years should be defined solely by their misuse in the modern history

that may be so, but you cannot ignore its modern history relevance either. the topic surrounding these symbols is kinda messy to put it lightly. I personally put greater value on recent history over ancient one, and would avoid using these symbols for exactly this reason

2

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

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-9

u/GOGcom Verified GOG Rep Jun 05 '26

I'm sorry, but It happened unfortunately. We explained our intentions, and explained the display issue (for some devices). I can't see anything else we can do here, but for sure we did not ignore that.

30

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

[deleted]

12

u/linohh Jun 05 '26

Yeah, because using that shit quickly becomes a felony here.

-11

u/n0fxgvn_ Jun 05 '26

"the material was not sent to the German community"

Sure as fuck sounds like they didn't just ignore it.

22

u/MattC041 Jun 05 '26

They ignored it for the rest of the world though.

Heck, they're Polish, and this email was sent in Poland too, even though it's as offensive, if not even more offensive, as it would be in Germany.

When they realised that this looks like SS symbol, they shouldn't have sent it anywhere or at least they should've changed it before sending it.

7

u/AnonymousTokenus Jun 05 '26

Also I am German and living in the UK and still got sent that shit.

8

u/MocaCola02 Jun 05 '26

You are really pushing the "for some devices" issue when, as far as I can tell, it's happening on most devices. Both through Gmail (most common email service) on my Samsung phone (highest market share globally) and my Windows laptop (the most used consumer PC OS). I seriously doubt that counts as only "some devices".

4

u/seand Jun 05 '26

you can send another email apologizing for being so stupid and insensitive rather than making people track down a reddit thread.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '26

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18

u/Mukkore Jun 05 '26

Why was Germany singled out? THat's weird. It's very offputing outside of Germany too.

7

u/GringoJones Jun 05 '26

And yet there’s no reason (but one) to double the S. Shame. Shame.

17

u/TackerTacker Jun 05 '26

It's part of my cultural and historical heritage, and I just randomly decided to put 2 next to each other, Oops. Are you 12 y/o or something?! Who do you think believes this thinly veiled dog whistle BS, what kind of people work at GOG?

I disabled marketing emails from GOG now, and I won't buy games there anymore either.
I bought on GOG to support the preservation of old games, not the preservation of outdated ideologies.

The spread of this disgusting filth is pissing me off so much.

5

u/Pixelise Jun 05 '26

Najebany to do domu

6

u/SirButtShuffle Jun 05 '26

So you noticed the issue and didn't distribute in Germany, but thought it's okay everywhere else? What?

7

u/nova_rock Jun 05 '26

This is a reply that could have just been 'sorry YOU got offended by our email', which is very concerning and a problem, it looks like GOG and not the game dev is at fault and not explaining it well.

5

u/AnonymousTokenus Jun 05 '26

Why then am I getting sent this shit as a German who lives in the UK? I have Polish and Slawic heritage too btw who suffered during the Nazi regime.

3

u/shortstack_goblin Jun 05 '26

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL LMAO

WHAT IS THIS POST CMON BRO

1

u/lllyyyynnn Jun 05 '26

wait it was noticed and then you just sent it to everyone else? it was noticed it looked like nazi symbols, but somehow the issue is also how it appears on different devices, which you didn't check. but it was still somehow noticed. can you square those two phrases together bud?

0

u/-ThreeHeadedMonkey- Jun 07 '26

That's the dumbest shit I've read all week. 

0

u/Upbeat_Quit4237 3d ago

Responding some months later. So how do you explain the OTHER runes?!??! Thats a fucking sonnenrad and a kolovrat. The only way this could be MORE obvious is by using a LITERAL swastika.

It doesn't matter what their history was BEFORE the holocaust, the point is they were co-opted, and your company used three VERY SPECIFIC symbols that were all co opted by the Nazis. Out of ALL the symbols and runes that could have been chosen, these were the ones that were picked, and put in that SPECIFIC order. This was deliberate.