Well that's a headline I never thought I'll write. Several posts and comments on the GOG subreddit have noticed a promotional e-mail that contains some... interesting symbols, which I can confirm with my own e-mail. As can be seen from the screenshot below, an e-mail containing a discount code for the game The End of the Sun (nothing out of the ordinary so far) contains 4 symbols that resemble Nazi iconography.
The first symbol, if you squint, looks like a simplified version of the Black Sun, a Sonnerand (sun wheel) symbol used in Nazi Germany. Similar story with the second symbol, this time looking like the Black Sun without the encompassing circle. Now, if it was just these two symbols, this would be a nothingburger, as the similarities are superficial at best.
It's the last two that really make this whole situation icky. That's the double lighting bolt insignia of the Schutzstaffel, the Nazi paramilitary organisation from WWII. Depending on your operating system or browser, not all symbols might show up (the first two don't show on my PC, for instance).
Things get even weirder when looking at the logos. The one in the email (top) contains another Sonnenrad that looks closer to the Black Sun, while the logo used in trailers and on the game's page (bottom) uses a more flower-like symbol, likely changes after realizing the implication of the first version. So whoever wrote the mail went out of their way to use the old one.
So how did this happen? Well, best case scenario (and most likely) is that some employee with far-right leaning decided to show how much of a piece of shi- I mean, to show what their political leaning are with the rest of the world. Assuming GOG ever addresses this, said person will likely face repercussions for this whole situation. We'll have to wait and see.
Update: A GOG representative has given an official response. One is at the very end of this forum post (as an attachment, last reply), one is as a comment to this Reddit post that first brought the issue to light. We have both of them below, but they boil down to about the same thing: The "lightning bolt" symbol got displayed incorrectly. Oh, and they were aware this might happen, so the title didn't include them in the German mail.
Quote From GOGcom on Reddit 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. 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.
What do you think of this whole debacle? Is this something serious, or is it a nothingburger? Let us know in the comments below!
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