Muslim fighter given Christian celebration in UFC 2
EA apologizes to Khabib Nurmagomedov, pledges to fix issue in game's next update
Fresh off a GDC panel decrying the industry's treatment of Muslim characters, Electronic Arts has provided another example of how games can be inconsiderate of practitioners. The publisher's recently released UFC 2 has drawn some heat for post-fight celebrations that can show Muslim fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov making a Christian gesture, the sign of the cross.
The Russian fighter tweeted his displeasure last week, saying, "I'm a MUSLIM and not Baptized. Please @EASPORTSUFC edit my after fight celebration. I have a lot of Muslim fans and you have to respect it."
Yesterday he followed up by posting a picture showing EA's response through a Twitter direct message.
"Hello Khabib. Just wanted to reach out and let you know that we've seen your concern in regards to your after fight celebration," the publisher responded. "We've informed our development team about this issue and will change the celebration in our next update. Apologies if this has offended you in any way."
Nurmagomedov accepted the apology, acknowledging that everyone makes mistakes and saying he wouldn't hold a grudge.
"Hopefully, next time they wouldn't make mistakes like this, and take [into] account everybody's religion," Nurmagomedov said.