In September 2012, a pair of developers from Bohemia Interactive — the team behind the ArmA series and the upcoming DayZ standalone game — were arrested on a Greek island and accused of espionage.
The island, Lemnos, was the same one being recreated for the studio’s in-development military combat simulator ArmA 3. As a result of the case against the pair, then, BI have decided to change the name of the island to “Altis”.
Saying “the team no longer feels passionate about using the previous name”, the devs hope the new name “will help emphasise the fictional nature of the game”. And, you know, maybe help the arrested pair — currently out on bail — escape further recriminations.
“As part of the creative process, our virtual environments are often rooted in real-life locations and, during development, they evolve and grow along with our design”, says Joris-Jan van ‘t Land, project lead on ArmA 3. “The resulting fictional environment is often close to its inspiration, but it’s never exactly the same — nor would we want it to be. For us, ‘Altis’ echoes the Mediterranean heart of our island, but differentiates it from any undesired real-life connotations.”
ArmA 3 will be out later this year.
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