When it was first announced in April 2009, Six Days in Fallujah, from developer Atomic Games, raised more than a few eyebrows. Peace groups, veterans and some families of killed American soldiers lambasted the studio and its then publishing partner Konami for turning the unpopular war into an interactive entertainment experience. Taking place within a six-day span during the gruesome November 2004 campaign of Operation Phantom Fury, Six Days in Fallujah attempts to tell the true stories of multiple veterans who experienced the ordeal and, according to Atomic, several of them collaborated with the developer to help create the title.

Speaking with Joystiq during PAX East 2010, Atomic president Peter Tamte offered a lengthy update on the game's development progress. He addressed in detail its tone and the potential controversies inherent in its subject matter. November 2004 is still considered the most brutal single month of the Iraq War in terms of US casualties, and there are questions about how Six Days in Fallujah will handle the deaths of real people. The game not only has a responsibility to be respectful, it has a responsibility to be truthful.