Gamers Rise Up!

Hordes of brainwashed right-wing extremists have become infected with the Trump Zombie Plague and threaten the free world with fake-news-propagating hate speech. But there is one force that can stop them – anti-fascism! Gamers, rise up and confront the infectious, indoctrinated mobs in Smash MAGA!

Defend vaccination sites against diseased MAGA zealots! Disrupt white supremacist speaking events and dismantle symbols of colonization! And slap masks on science-denying fools right in their uncovered faces with a triple crossbow!

Unapologetically anti-fascist, Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse is a politically-charged smash-and-run retro action adventure game (in the style of Smash TV) where you fight right-wing zombies at scenes like the Capitol Hill Riots and other historic events of our time.

Defend The Forest in the new level of Smash MAGA!

Play now on Steam!
Play now on iPhone! (Signulous Alt Store)

Defend The Forest – The newest level of Smash MAGA!

“If You Build It, We Will Burn It!”

Their fascist ecocidal ambitions now laid bare, establishment forces seek to build Cop City, the largest police “training center” in the country, situated on top of the largest forest within an urban area. This pig playground has plans to include weapons and explosives testing, a mock city in which to simulate battles with resistant civilians, and would train cops from departments across the nation (‘outside agitators’). Cop City is the end-game of late stage capitalism: their response to the glaring contradictions and growing unrest is to drop the veneer of democracy and double down on the repression, culminating in these militarized cop city feudal empires to maintain their racist classist status quo well into an apocalyptic climate collapsed dystopian future.

This vision could not be more clearly demonstrated by the overwhelming repression of those fighting to defend the forest, including the murder of our comrade Tortuguita and the bogus arrests of over 45 protesters who are now facing draconian “domestic terror” charges. But despite mass repression, the movement continues to grow and evolve: using an ecosystem of tactics, forest defenders have made serious setbacks to the Cop City project. The future is unwritten: our collective survival will be determined by those willing to fight. Defend the Earth by any means necessary! Abolish the police and Stop Cop City!

For this level, we introduce a few new elements to the classic Smash MAGA! Riot and Rally arcade action!

Earth-Rippers – these clear-cutting deforesters are modeled after the land-rippers of Lutzerath. They have one goal – kill all trees! A few bricks or molotovs will take out these anti-life tech monstrosities.

B3 Bombers – Thanks to bipartisan imperialism, the state is now in possession of a fleet of billion-dollar drone-operated nuclear stealth bombers, and utilizing them in targeted operations against the protesters. If you see signs of an impending drone strike, RUN!

Tree-Sitters – Comrades are occupying the trees and giving themselves a vantage point in which to best resist the encroaching police menace! Hidden all over the forest, land defenders are at the forefront of struggle for climate revolution!

Defend The Forest is an antifascist action-packed rally-and-riot crowd-brawling tower-defense experience that can only be matched by going out and participating in real-world struggles against environmental encroachment. Stop Cop City Everywhere! Check these collectives and websites for more info on the Stop Cop City movement, find comrades in your area, and get active!

https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/
https://atlpresscollective.com/
https://atlsolidarity.org/

“Civil War” Expansion for Smash MAGA Released

Announcing on this Fifth of November the release of the “Civil War” expansion to our antifascist game Smash MAGA: Trump Zombie Apocalypse! Play now for Free on Mac OS, Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone!

Poster for Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse: Civil War

With the spectre of fascist civil war haunting the midterm elections in the so-called United States, imminent system collapse is obvious to all. There is no future left but to fight it out in chaos of the streets – or in the latest version of Smash MAGA: Trump Zombie Apocalypse! This expansion continues the timeline into Biden’s neoliberal nightmare with six new action-packed levels: “March Against Dystopia”, “Dualing Protests”, “”Cop Island”, “Bicycle Bomber”, “Civil War”, and “Ancient Future”.  Join the struggle in single-player mode or fight with your friends online against new enemies including police riot trucks, digi-dogs. tanks, Romanesque MAGA LARPers, peace police, and more.

 

After the failed coup, the forces of the Trump virus lingered and spread a new wave of propaganda to reanimate the zombified hordes. Grifting ignorance and hate, right-wing chaos agents mainstream the scapegoating of the vulnerable and marginalized, creating an era of stochastic terror. Vigilante assaults on public institutions erodes healthcare and education, the right to abortion was the first to go in a Christian nationalist putsch.

Meanwhile, the Neoliberals wanted to normalize the crises. Content with letting the left drain their resources battling the undead fascists in the streets, the Neolibs triangulate and expand the militarization of the police with automation and hyper-technology to maintain their rule and geopolitical power. 

Dystopian authoritarianism accelerates climate collapse. Animal populations disappear, entire towns and lakes evaporate, perennial fires and hurricanes make survival untenable. Misanthropy spreads as conditions worsened unevenly. Billions more thrown into poverty and desperation; world leaders choose sides in future wars.

An emergency election is held, and both parties lose. Without a majority or plurality, the internal contradictions prove too great for democracy to hold together the diverging realities. Ubiquitous political violence escalates to larger skirmishes, regional conflicts spread to global theaters. MAGA secedes under a familiar banner and makes the first strike… Civil War returns in the age of nuclear fascism.

 

Twin Trouble Podcast talks Smash MAGA v1.1

In this episode of Jeremy and Jason’s Twin Trouble podcast, “Hacker, Grifter, Fascist, Spy”, the twins talk about the continued fallout of Jan 6 and the current state of MAGA in the year since the right-wing insurrection, including a new section, “Where Are They Now?”, about the so-called “political prisoners” of Jan 6, portrayed as martyrs by the fascistic GOP. In seamless transition, the twins then discuss the new version of their game Smash MAGA. Listen on SoundCloud or Read the Transcript

Smash MAGA! v1.1 Multiplayer Release on Steam on Anniversary of Capitol Riots

We are releasing version 1.1 of Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse on the Steam Gaming Platform on the anniversary of the capitol riots.

One year ago today, a horde of brainwashed MAGA insurrectionists attacked the capitol in an fascist attempt to seize the 2020 election for Donald Trump. They tried blaming it on Antifa, but it was actually the antifascists who had warned us of the dangers of rising white supremacist violence under the Trump regime that boiled over on that fateful day.

2020 saw a dark-age dystopia of doom and disease, ushered in by the spread of a zombie plague known as the Trump Virus. The indoctrinated mobs have feasted on fake-news and threaten the free world with their hate and decay. But one force has risen up that can stop them – ANTIFA! Gamers, Rise Up Against the Fascist Plague!

Riot guaranteed in this antifascist indie game.

Grab your comrades and mask up, because it’s anarchy in the streets in this arcade-style smash-and-grab. Stock up on Mask Guns, Bricks, Molotovs, and Cans of Soup(for the family), and join a united front against the right-wing hordes as they descend upon vaccination sites and college campuses! Defend autonomous zones and burn police stations! Loot from corporations and redistribute hoarded wealth via mutual aid tables! Resist climate devastation accelerated by fossil fuels and greedy billionaires! Disrupt white supremacist gatherings and tear down statues and other symbols of colonialism!

New levels include a Capture The Flag Laser Tag and MarS-A-Lago, where the Trump loyalists have made their last stand, having teamed up with Elon Musk for a sinister plot to spread MAGA to the galaxy… And with new internet multiplayer and two-player couch co-op features, you can fight fascists with your friends!

Smash Fascism. Smash Capitalism. #Smash MAGA!

Play Smash MAGA! on the Steam Gaming Platform or on other devices

Smash MAGA! Multiplayer Tournament Launch Party on January 6

A new Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse will be released on the upcoming anniversary of the January 6 attempted right-wing coup.

In contemptful observance of this fateful date, we are throwing a Smash MAGA! Multiplayer Tournament Launch party. Join us as we collectively take on the fascists as they storm the capitol! We’ll also be hosting an Antifascist Capture the Flag Laser Tag tournament!

In addition to multiplayer and couch co-op features, this update introduces a new level – MarS-A-Lago – where you finally confront the Trump Virus himself. All the sinister architects of the zombie insurrection have been escaping accountability by hiding out in the MAGA-infested Floridian hellscape – until now.

This new version of Smash MAGA! will be released on the Steam gaming platform. Please check out our Steam page and wishlist – and see you on January 6!

Smash MAGA! is currently available to play for free on all operating systems and mobile devices. Please live-stream / post about it using the hashtag #SmashMAGA on Jan 6!

Play Smash MAGA! on your iPhone through Alternative App Stores Signulous, Buildstore and Appdb

Although we have been banned by all the major app stores including Apple’s App Store and Google Play, we have still been able to make our game available to play on all major mobile devices through alternative app stores.

  • Signulous – this commercial service costs $20 a year and easily allows you to sign and install any app to your phone from their extensive app library or any IPA file of your choosing. Most importantly, you can do this from your iPhone without needing to connect it to a computer or jailbreaking.
  • BuildStore – this is another service that allows you to download and install apps from their library or any IPA file of your choosing to your iPhone. $20 / month
  • appdb – this community-run alternative app library has a huge database of apps you can install to your iPhone. You can download and install any app on their database for free using Rickpactor, but they also offer a pro version for €22 a year.

These services make it really easy for iPhone users to download and install our game (as well as thousands of other apps that are not available on the “official” app stores, including game console emulators and unlocked, pro, and + versions of major apps). But you don’t necessarily need to use any of of these services: you can also just download our IPA file and install it to your iPhone using AltStore or AppCake.

Android users can always just download and install the game’s APK file manually.

Play Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse, the Game Banned from All Major App Stores

We are pleased to announce the release of our game Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse!

Smash MAGA! is a politically-charged loot-and-riot action adventure game where you fight hordes of brainwashed right-wing extremists who have become infected with the Trump Zombie Plague. Fight the fascist disease at vaccination sites, counter-protests, autonomous zones, and more! Smash MAGA! is the first video game that features the January 6 right-wing coup attempt – confront frenzied fake-news-fed fascists as they storm the Capitol!

Smash MAGA! is free to play and available on all major operating systems including Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Android, and iOS. We are also on the itch.io gaming platform, the Samsung Galaxy Store, and APKPure.

We are also releasing the soundtrack to the game for free on Bandcamp and are selling a limited run of cassettes and game pamphlets for ten dollars (the proceeds going to support BLM and antifascist causes)

Our game has met censorship from all major app platforms, having been banned from Apple’s App Store, Google Play, Huawei AppGallery, and Steam, in addition to our initial Twitter account being restricted. The official reasoning has ranged from “inappropriate political content”(Huawei), “political violence”(Google), “copyright infringement”(Steam), to “offensive references to targeted groups such as MAGA”(Apple). We refute these justifications as overly broad and restrictive interpretations of the law and their own terms of service agreements. We have appealed these rejections and publicly deconstructed their bogus arguments in a series of articles posted to our website.

These suppressions demonstrate hypocritical double standards as to what these giants consider to be acceptable in the gaming industry: they will reject anything they deem “political” (especially left-leaning), but will accept any amount of indiscriminate GTA-style violence or state-sanctioned political violence like Call of Duty and other games that glorify the military and police.

Furthermore, one of the game’s developers, Jeremy Hammond, who is on federal probation after having been released from prison for computer hacking charges, is now facing a possible probation violation due to the development and release of this game. Jeremy’s probation officer is seeking clarification from federal court as to whether “antifa” is considered a “civil disobedience organization” and whether the release of Smash MAGA would be a violation of his special release conditions that prohibit “involvement or contact with civil disobedience organizations”.

Although Trump demonized antifascists and attempted to label them as “domestic terrorists”, the importance of taking action against the rise of fascism has become abundantly clear. We are living through a dark-age of heightened white-supremacist ultra-right wing violent extremism that was incited by Trump, but had always been present and systemic in the imperialist colonial project of America. Smash MAGA! is both social commentary and a call to action, challenging players to reflect on the true gravity of this moment in history.

We oppose these reactionary arguments that both reject political games and vilify antifascism. We must Smash MAGA!

We invite gamers and streamers to play Smash MAGA! and offer their opinions on whether this is a game that should be banned. Please use the hashtags #SmashMaga #SmashMagaGame  #SmashMagaBan #PlaySmashMaga

Smash MAGA! was developed by twins Jeremy Hammond and Jason Hammond using the Godot Engine and is released under the MIT License.

Steam Bans Antifascist Game Smash MAGA Citing Bogus “Copyright Infringement” Claims

We had planned to release Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse on September 9th to honor the 50th year anniversary of the Attica prison uprising. The public beta release of our game Smash MAGA! had already been listed and playable on Steam for more than a month by the time we submitted our final release builds in advance of our release date. Unfortunately, Steam took longer than usual to review our submissions and allowed our release date to pass by, ultimately deciding to ban Smash MAGA! from their gaming platform.

In a perplexing harshly-worded rejection notice, Steam’s reason for the ban was that “this title contains copyrighted content”, and that “we are not interested in working with partners that dance around the edges of what’s legal. This app has been banned and cannot be reused. Re-submissions of this app, even with modifications, will not be accepted”.

Steam has refused to point to any examples of copyrighted content that we are supposedly infringing on. We deny that there are any copyright violations in our game, and any reference to an individual, institution, or corporation that may exist is obvious parody and protected by well-settled court precedent based on the Fair Use Doctrine and the First Amendment. We believe Steam‘s claim of copyright infringement is a false pretense to ban our game because they were afraid of any potential political controversy and reactionary blowback or perhaps simply because the reviewers personally disagreed with the message of our game.

Steam’s rejection of Smash MAGA! was also unexpected as they had previously approved both our Store Page and our Playtest Build through their review process: the game had already been playable on Steam for a month, and they had ample opportunity to give us an indication they weren’t going to allow us on their platform.

The rejection was also surprising because Steam has a supposed reputation for having a relaxed attitude about content restrictions. A statement on their website explains their policy is to allow “everything” except for “things we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling”. Very few games are banned from Steam; for example, in 2015 they reversed their prior ban on the game “Hatred” which features a “mass murderer” on a “genocide crusade”.

Previously, Smash MAGA! had been banned from other app platforms including the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Huawei AppGallery. Although they all have upheld the ban throughout several appeals, Steam is not offering any type of appeal process or the opportunity to modify and resubmit our game. Nevertheless, we will continue to lobby Valve Corporation to make Smash MAGA! available to gamers on Steam.

We are working to ensure that Smash MAGA! is playable on as many platforms as possible. It is currently available to play for free on Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Android, and iOS through direct download and manual installation.

steam rejected us on some bs wtf

Huawei Bans Antifascist game Smash MAGA! from AppGallery for “Inappropriate Politically Contents”

After submitting our game Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse to the Huawei AppGallery, we have been notified that our game was rejected.

The stated reason for the rejection was “your App contains inappropriate politically contents”. However, nowhere in the App Review Guidelines does it mention any restriction on political content or give any indication as to what they would consider “inappropriate”.

Huawei cited App Review Guidelines 4.7 which prohibits “content that propagates cults and/or feudal superstition or is offensive to a religious or racial group, sexual orientation, gender, or other group to which individuals self-identify”. As examples, they provided screenshots of our title screen and of our introduction montage.

We understand the need to prevent hate-speech, bigotry, and other legitimate forms of discrimination, which is why it is puzzling that Huawei would consider the zombified right-wing extremists depicted in our game a part of these targeted groups. It is insulting and false to equate historically oppressed groups that regularly experience horrific hate crimes to groups such as MAGA who hold power and privilege in the US, have never experienced any form of discrimination, have always positioned themselves against what they see as “political correctness”, and have themselves been the major perpetrators of such hate crimes.

We have appealed this rejection and will continue to work to bring Smash MAGA! To Huawei users around the world.

Smash MAGA! has previously been banned from Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and Steam game platforms. However, the game is free to download and play on all major operating systems from our website.

 

Google Bans Antifascist Game Smash MAGA! from Play Store

It is still possible to play the Public Beta of Smash MAGA on Android! Although Google has banned Smash MAGA from the Play Store, you can manually download and install the game’s APK file (you may have to allow Installation of Unknown or Other Apps inside of “Settings -> Security -> Apps and Notifications” (more detailed instructions)

Update: On September 2nd, Google responded to our appeal, claiming that Smash MAGA was rejected because it “currently depicts political violence”

In an era of growing fascist violence, tech monopolies like Google and Apple continue to deplatform antifascist voices.

After submitting the Public Beta of our upcoming game Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse to Google Play’s Open Testing program, Google has suspended and removed our game citing their “Sensitive Events” policy: “We don’t allow apps that lack reasonable sensitivity towards or capitalize on a natural disaster, atrocity, health crisis, conflict, death, or tragic event”. We believe our game is in full compliance with their policies as explained below, and we are in the process of appealing this decision.

Apple had also previously banned Smash MAGA! from their App Store, claiming that MAGA is part of a “targeted group” and that they would never accept any application or game that features the January 6 Capitol Hill right-wing coup attempt. Unlike Android phones, in which you can still download and install applications outside of the official Play Store, Apple’s App Store monopoly effectively prevents any iPhone or iPad users from playing our game (although provide the .IPA download link to people who jailbreak their devices).

Additionally, Twitter has also “temporarily restricted” and “shadowbanned” the official @SmashMAGAGame account, most likely due to right-wing trolls mass-reporting our tweets.

Google did not provide any evidence or supplemental information pointing to where our game violates their Sensitive Events policy beyond attaching a screenshot of our title screen. Even without any specificity, we can speculate that the “sensitive event” they are referring to is either the COVID-19 pandemic or the January 6 Capitol Hill riots.

Google’s “Requirements for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Apps” has restrictions on apps that “provide medical treatment, vaccine, testing, or other related information”, “support COVID-19-related response, containment, research, or education/training efforts”, or “support services used to respond specifically to COVID-19”. These rules purportedly are designed to prevent the spread of fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 from non-official applications. Smash MAGA! does not explicitly refer to COVID-19; instead, we portray a generalized zombie plague associated with the spreading of disinformation and the rise of fascism. As our game does not present itself as an official source of news, information or medical treatment for COVID-19, we are confident we are not violating any of these rules.

Google Play’s Sensitive Events policy provides examples of violations, including “lacking sensitivity regarding the death of a real person or group of people due to suicide, overdose, natural causes, etc”, “denying a major tragic event”, and “appearing to profit from a trafic event with no discernible benefit to the victims”. Our game is not lacking sensitivity regarding any deaths from, or denying the events of, or making any profit from portraying January 6 or the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, their policy states that apps are “generally allowed if that content has … artistic value”, which we believe would include clear satirical and artistic value and thus does not violate any of these policies.

If the Sensitive Events rejection is in reference to the January 6 riots, then Google joins Apple in banning games and applications that illustrate one of the most historic events of our era, one that highlights the dangers of the increasingly militant fascist movement incited by Trump and others in the GOP including Proud Boys and Oathkeepers who acted as paramilitaries in the attempted coup and the ongoing war on democracy. Furthermore, there are plenty of applications available on Google Play that platform these ultra-right wingers to spread their disinformation and hateful rhetoric which has directly led to violence on the street. Currently available for download on Google Play is MeWe, Gettr, Frank, Right Side Broadcasting Network, MAGA Chat, Newsmax, and others. You can download a hundred different apps that will feed you Trumpian lies and disinformation about the 2020 election as well as denial of the science behind essential health services like vaccinations and masks. People coordinated the Jan 6th insurrection in plain sight on some of these social media platforms, yet they are allowed to continue downloading and interacting with one another thanks to Google Play.

Additionally, there are plenty of games on the Google Play store that glorify violence or otherwise show a “lack of sensitivity”, particularly games that support military adventurism and imperialism. None of these games face censorship or scrutiny for their content, highlighting a double standard in what kind of violence is accepted. Are these also not insensitive, considering the millions of innocent casualties and the refugee crisis created by these useless and widely unpopular US-led wars?

It’s been established that the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat in the US are white supremacist groups, yet since January 6th there has been such little recourse against the fascist MAGA movement that the Proud Boys are once again regular features at far-right actions, instigating extreme and potentially deadly violence at nearly every incident. As covered recently in Democracy Now, stabbings, mace, paintball guns and other violent misogynistic attacks occur frequently at anti-vaccination and anti-mask rallies, including targeting journalists, counter-protesters, and random passersby alike. Police provide them protection while brutally suppressing antifascists and counter-protesters, making the State active participants in this ongoing and seemingly endless fascist insurrection. In fact, Proud Boys are returning to rally in DC for their ‘political prisoners’ on September 18th. The worst is yet to come.

Antifascists are the only ones who are actively working to stop these fascists beyond performative activism and symbolic condemnations. Yet liberal politicians and tech monopolies are undermining antifascist efforts through a misguided commitment to the false ideologies of “non-violence” and “free speech absolutism”. They often condemn “both sides” as if the conflict between freedom and fascism is simply a matter of everybody having a right to their opinion – a dangerous argument that has utterly failed in holding these white supremacists accountable which is why they continue to proliferate today. As history and experience has shown, fascism – much like a zombie apocalypse – will not die away on its own. It cannot be reasoned with, it must be confronted and uprooted before it is allowed to spread. Furthermore, who wouldn’t want to fight zombified Trump supporters invading and attacking the Capitol?

Smash MAGA – the first game to depict the January 6 Capitol Hill riots – is a legitimate artistic and satirical reflection of the alarming times we live in. We believe that not only is our game in compliance with the policies of Google Play and Apple’s App Store, but it is also on the right side of history. Despite big tech monopolies attempts to repress us, we will continue to make Smash MAGA! free available on a variety of platforms including Android, Linux, Mac OS, Windows, and iOS.

Smash MAGA! Trump Zombie Apocalypse is currently in Public Beta and is expected to be released for free on September 9 2021. Play the Public Beta of Smash MAGA! now!