Juneteenth is coming up and some video games are commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. with in-game cosmetics. Among them is Halo Infinite, which offered up a nameplate palette so that you can sport Juneteenth’s colors on your username.
However, the palette quickly came under fire for its name, ‘Bonobo’, which is a species of endangered ape. With a history of apes being used as racial slurs, you can see why people were angry.
Developer 343 Industries responded to say that the name was unintentionally added to the game and actually refers to the name of an internal toolset.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” 343’s community manager said in a tweet reply. “We strive to create diverse and inclusive gaming communities. While the original name refers to an internal toolset, it was not intended to be applied to this content and we recognize the harm it may have caused.”
The nameplate has since been renamed simply ‘Juneteenth’.
Bonnie Ross, founder and head of 343 Industries, also put out a statement on Twitter:
“We were made aware of a palette option for our Juneteenth emblem that contained a term that was offensive and hurtful. The team immediately addressed this issue via an update.
“We are a studio and franchise that is committed to inclusivity where everyone is welcome and supported to be their true self. On behalf of 343, I apologize for making a celebrated moment a hurtful moment.”
How the name passed through every check and made it into the live game is anyone’s guess.
Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF.
