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"It's vile": Irish metal band's shock after being linked to anti-gay game

Cruachan has now pulled out of a US project that was to use its music and star its lead singer.

kaf game A still from the game Jim Sterling Jim Sterling

THE LEAD SINGER of one of Ireland’s most successful metal bands was shocked to discover a project using his music features an anti-gay game.

Kill The F****t [which we'll call KTF] was released by the independent company Skaldic Games, based in LA, which is also behind The Shelter: A Survival Story.

Keith Fay, lead singer of Cruachan, and his girlfriend, model and actor Rachel Lally, both contributed their voices to The Shelter: A Survival Story. Music by Cruachan was also to be used within the game.

Now they have asked for their work to be removed from The Shelter after discovering the short game KTF was due to be included within The Shelter.

Where it all began

“I was contacted by the company [Skaldic Games] about six months ago,” explained Fay. “They said they were a new company doing a survival horror game called The Shelter.”

He agreed to feature both himself and the band Cruachan in it – the band’s music is used, and one character wears a Cruachan t-shirt – as “the game looked really interesting and it sounded awesome to have your band’s music in the video game”.

Lally then came on board and the pair recorded their vocal parts for the horror game over two days.

Shocking discovery

But yesterday, they began getting messages online asking them about their connection to Skaldic Games and the new game KTF.

“I got over 100 messages in to the [Cruachan] Facebook page,” said Fay.

KTF came to light after it was featured in a scathing YouTube video review. “I looked at the video and thought it was disgusting,” said Fay.

My younger brother, who is also my best friend, is gay. My girlfriend Rachel has been campaigning for a Yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum.

The pair contacted the man who runs Skaldic games, and have moved to distance themselves from the company.

“It’s just so vile, I can’t put it into words,” said Fay of KTF.

“I told them we’re out – they no longer have permission to use my voice, likeness, or [Cruachan] t-shirt [in the game The Shelter]. All that has to stop.”

Lally also released a statement on her Facebook page after being contacted by fans.

KTF includes quotes such as “you want to chop my weiner?”, “I just dropped the soap”, “transgender kill”, “AIDs carrier eliminated” and “straight pride”.

Games reviewer Jim Sterling said he decided to feature the game because it highlights the vetting process on Steam’s Greenlight section, which is specifically for independent developers.

“No I don’t hate gays”

In a statement on its website, Skaldic Games said that the controversial game is to be featured in The Shelter: A Survival Story, on a cell phone on which the player can play mini games.

The reason behind this particular game is because of how tired I am of people being overly sensitive and how easily offended people are by every little thing, especially with LGBT issues. I have worked in the game industry since 2007, so I know that’s how the game industry pretty much is. I didn’t make this game to attack LGBT people personally, and no I don’t hate gays and think they should be treated farily [sic], but I made this game just to piss off those people that are way too overly sensitive, which includes straight people.
These people that think if you are even remotely homophobic, you are “hateful” and a “bigot”, and do everything they can to destroy you in every vicious way possible.. So I decided to go down a path that most developers are afraid to go down: to piss these people off by making the most overly offensive game possible to these idiots to prove a point.

The statement went on:

Why do you care so much? It’s obvious no one in their right mind would take this game seriously. If someone made a “Kill all straight white people game”, I would totally play it and have a laugh, as seeing it wasn’t made to be serious. Keep sending all the threats and hate mail though, its a fun read, and proves you have no time on your hands.

Skaldic Games said that an apology “ain’t gonna happen”, but added:

Of course we don’t endorse killing or murder of any kind. This game was not meant to be taken seriously.

The game was removed from the popular site Steam’s Greenlight section after complaints:

On its site, Steam Greenlight says that before posting a game, developers must agree not to post anything that contains:

  • Threats of violence or harassment, even as a joke
  • Porn, inappropriate or offensive content, warez or leaked content
  • Soliciting, begging, auctioning, selling, advertising, referrals racism, discrimination

Steam users can vote for which Greenlight games they would like to see made commercially available through the site.

Though KTF has been removed from Steam, it is still available on the developer’s website.

Read: “We tour Russia more than any Irish band. I think that should be recognised”>

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    Mute Derek o keeffe
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:06 PM

    Why didn’t they test it on themselves?

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    Mute Dubabroad
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:33 PM

    @Derek o keeffe: Because like most clinical trials this one was carried out on mice to gauge reactions/side effects..
    Without such trials the average human life expectancy would still be somewhere between 35/55 and we wouldn’t have the vast majority of the current life saving Cancer and AIDS treatments to mention just two…

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    Mute Michael Hayden
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:42 PM

    @Derek o keeffe: a better question is why they didn’t test it on you.

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    Mute Bobby Phelan
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    Apr 8th 2017, 6:59 PM

    Cannabis works on pain as well oh thats right big pharmaceuticals cant profit off that though.Cannabis is one of the biggest break throughs in medicine but our media seem to ignore it.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:44 PM

    Can you “milk” the fish for venom, package it and sell it to people? Asking for a friend.

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:17 PM

    ‘The Fang Blennies’….weren’t they a pop group back in the 80′s?

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    Mute goon4life
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:40 PM

    Is the venom addictive like current opioids? If so what’s the big deal?

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    Mute THE BATMAN
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    Apr 8th 2017, 7:37 PM

    Stooooooory bud!!! Ya got any of them fishes the ones with da gear man for me girlfriend like it’s her beerday tomorra!! On tick of course bud scratcher end of the week bud… (over heard in pet shop in Dublin city centre )

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    Mute Paul A Whelan
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    Apr 8th 2017, 6:58 PM

    What’s the point. Patients still can’t get the medicinal cannabis that could help them.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:41 PM

    It’s not IF we lose the Great Barrier Reef it’s WHEN. Better stock up on tanks pumps and protein skimmers all of which will require a lot of fossil fuel generated electricity to run if we want to keep the blenny inter alia.

    Mind it’s probably moot given the mindless approach of governments and society to date towards natural painkillers and cancer killing substances. If it actually delivers a useful result he blenny will probably be banned by law.

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    Mute Fionn Bohane
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:25 PM

    Do they feel pain themselves I wonder?

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    Mute eastsmer #IRExit
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:55 PM

    I foresee growth in aquarium stockist shops

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    Mute Etherman
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    Apr 8th 2017, 4:14 PM

    Were the mice drugged or did they just drown?

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    Mute Michael Anthony Thompson
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    Apr 8th 2017, 5:48 PM

    Does this come in the form of fish fingers?

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Apr 8th 2017, 6:16 PM

    Big Bryan Fry experimenting with Small Blenny Fry. The outcome a numbing experience.

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    Mute jerry curtin
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    Apr 8th 2017, 7:52 PM

    You can get bags of it down the quays already

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    Mute Noel Hogan
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    Apr 8th 2017, 6:53 PM

    I

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Apr 10th 2017, 10:47 PM

    The happiest fish going lol.

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    Mute Paddy
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    Apr 8th 2017, 11:54 PM

    Brilliant, another drug all the social degenerates can get addicted to once it gets licensed!!!

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