Facebook pulls VR shooting demo from display at CPAC
"We regret that we failed to do so in the first place," says Facebook VP of VR
Facebook has pulled a live demo of its VR shooter Bullet Train from display at the Conservative Political Action Conference after a social media backlash.
Developed by Epic Games for the Oculus Rift, Bullet Train has been the company's proof-of-concept game for the past three years.
However, in what could be best described as a "public relations misstep", Facebook opted to display the demo at America's most prominent right-wing convention - which played host to both President Trump and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association Wayne LaPierre - mere days after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which left 17 dead.
Facebook withdrew the game from display after NowThis producer Sean Morrow brought the issue to attention over Twitter.
"There is a standard set of experiences included in the Oculus demos we feature at public events," Facebook's VP of VR Hugo Barra told Mashable
"A few of the action games can include violence. In light of the recent events in Florida and out of respect for the victims and their families, we have removed them from this demo. We regret that we failed to do so in the first place."
In the wake of the Parkland shooting, Conservative rhetoric has repeatedly highlighted video games as a problem area.
Last week President Trump led the charge in re-opening the violent video games debate while Rhode Island representative Robert Nardolillo III proposed a tax levy on games rated M or higher.