Ubisoft Removes Controversial Raised Fist Imagery From 'Tom Clancy's Elite Squad'

French video game company Ubisoft is removing imagery of a raised fist from “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” after it was used as a symbol of a terrorist organization in the game.

According to a description of the game’s campaign, players “Recruit elite soldiers from every corner of the world, including [the] criminal underworld, to put an end to UMBRA’s campaign of chaos.”

The game’s opening sequence shows UMBRA, an anarchist group which the narrator explains is taking “advantage of escalating civil unrest” to “generate more chaos and weaken governments.” The black raised fist image was associated with UMBRA.

“Imagery that appeared in the opening video sequence of Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad featuring a ‘raised fist’ was insensitive and harmful in both its inclusion and how it was portrayed,” Ubisoft wrote on Twitter earlier today.

“We have listened to and appreciate the players and the broader community who have pointed it out and we apologize.” Ubisoft says the imagery will be removed in the game’s next update on Sept. 1 on Android and “as soon as possible” on iOS, Kotaku reports.

Ubisoft did not immediately respond to a request by Kotaku for comment about whether the rest of the opening will remain intact or why it was created for the game in the first place.

Less than three months after Ubisoft called the systemic racism faced by Black people “deeply disturbing” and donating $100,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, the company released “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad.” When the game was shown off last month at Ubisoft’s big Forward press conference, it looked like a cartoony free-to-play tactics game.

The release of “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” also comes amid protests against police violence in the wake of the shooting of African American Jacob Blake, which subsequently triggered boycotts late last week in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS.

“Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” was developed by French studio Owlient, which is based in Paris and focuses on mobile gaming. Acquired by Ubisoft in 2011, its biggest previous game was a horse breeding simulator called “Howrse.”

On YouTube, a representative of the development team behind “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” called any resemblance to the Black Lives Matter movement in the game’s opening “coincidental.” “’Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad’ is a work of fiction and does not portray any real-world events,” the game’s YouTube account wrote in a comment.

“However, we have listened to players who have pointed out similarities, and to avoid any confusion we have decided to modify the trailer in the next update,” the statement continued.

Ubisoft recently said that they will not be raising game prices on next-gen consoles for now.