Rendition: Guantanamo was slated for January 2010. That is, until Scottish developers T-Enterprise pulled the plug.
The game was set in a Guantanamo staffed not by US forces but by mercenaries, with prisoners subjected to scientific experiments. The developers brought in Moazzam Begg to consult.
Begg, a British citizen, was arrested in January of 2002 as an alleged terrorist. He was held for three years in Guantanamo Bay, before being released in 2005. He was brought onboard not to add political flavour, but to simply help give them an idea of the layout and look of the prison. It's still a highly classified location.
T-Enterprise released an official statement regarding its decision not to complete the game:
In recent days, much has been made of the involvement of T-Enterprise in relation to an X-Box 360 game entitled Rendition: Guantanamo. As a reputable and highly regarded firm amongst professionals and clients alike, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify a few issues that have emerged in the wake of press coverage in the United States.
Unfortunately, much of the speculation regarding the game itself made by various publications and websites has been inaccurate and ill informed. Based on a simple teaser trailer that actually revealed little of the game, many conclusions were reached that have absolutely no foundation whatsoever. It was never designed to be "propaganda" or "a recruiting tool for terrorism". Neither was it designed to glamorise terrorism as has been reported.
First and foremost, the main character was NOT Moazzam Begg. Instead, his name was Adam. He happened to be involved in a case of mistaken identity and so was never a terrorist. T-Enterprise is against all forms of terrorism and would never seek to advocate otherwise. Furthermore, Guantanamo was to be a mercenary run institution and so there would have been NO American military personnel killed within the game. Again, we support the British and American troops that fight the war against terrorism to make the world a safer place and would not make a game that said otherwise.
Having clarified our position on terrorism, I would now like to refute all suggestions that the game was in any way linked to Al Qaeda. T-Enterprise has never had and would never have a link to Al Qaeda in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, we would certainly not facilitate a means of funding for any group that undertook terrorist activities. The game was simply designed to be an action video game that adults could enjoy.
However, as a direct result of the extreme reaction that the game and its popular misconceptions have provoked, T-Enterprise has decided to pull out of the project and will not be completing Rendition: Guantanamo.
Should you have any questions regarding this statement then please contact our press office for clarification.
Zarrar Chishti
Director, T-Enterprise
Official Statement Regarding Rendition: Guantanamo – 3 June, 2009 [Rendition: Guantanamo via GamePolitics]