Swedish developer Paradox Interactive told fringe-left internet magazine RockPaperShotgun that they would not be featuring the historical Latin phrase “Deus Vult” in Crusader Kings 3 because of political concerns.
RockPaperShotgun was told “emphatically” that the saying, which is a mainstay of the beloved historical strategy series, “will not appear in Crusader Kings 3.
RockPaperShotgun editorialized that Deus Vult “has become a vile meme beloved of racists on the internet” and “the game is game set during a time of conflicts fetishised by modern fascists.”
Deus Vult translates to “God wills it” in Latin, and is historically relevant to the wars waged in the Middle East during the timeframe in which Crusader Kings is set.
The phrase has found a revival as a lighthearted meme in the gaming community, and is often used in memes about the Crusades and the Catholic church.
Paradox’s decision has drawn backlash from gamers and praise from censorship advocates on social media.
For @RT_com I wrote about Crusader Kings, & how it's another casualty in the war for political correctness. This time a popular phrase has been removed cuz a few bad eggs appropriated it as their own
Why are we allowing words to be hijacked so easily?https://t.co/hIO6Qr0XIe
— Sophia (Shithead Icon) Narwitz (@SophNar0747) October 19, 2019
the fact that fascists are real mad about deus vult not being in crusader kings 3 and how they think they are the core crusader kings audience is very funny to me
— the beads haver (@NoraReed) October 19, 2019
The corporate media has repeatedly slandered Deus Vult in the pastas a code term used by Nazis, the alt-right, and white supremacists in yet another concerted effort to marginalize and oppress the gaming community.
Newsweek said the saying was an “alt-right battlecry” used by “far-right internet trolls” in an article in 2018, and Polygon derided action game For Honor as having an “accidental alt-right connection” because it features Deus Vult, which has “an uncomfortable connotation for many.”
National File has reported on other instances of left-wing voices causing game developers to bend the knee to PC terminology, as earlier this year Voidpoint publicly apologized and promised to institute mandatory sensitivity training after drawing the ire of the transgender community.
CD Projekt Red, the developers of upcoming RPG Cyberpunk 2077 have also faced pressure from left-wing Twitter mobs for “hate speech.” In October the Polish developer group announced they would be replacing gender options with “body type” selection to create a more inclusive experience.
