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Shocker: Crazy Christian game selling well in the South photo

Remember a while ago when we said that the controversial (and decidedly insane) Christian-themed RTS Left Behind: Eternal Forces would be sold in Walmart? The game's publisher has today declared that scheme a success, selling well in that good ol' fashioned hotbed of Christian greatness, the American South.

"At the rate Walmart inventory is moving, they will be out of games before Christmas, unless they reorder," beams CEO Troy Lyndon. "We started sending out letters of appeal to Texas-based church pastors on October 12th, and plan to reach more than 10,000 churches over a 10-week campaign through Christmas. With seven weeks remaining, and accelerated sales expected as we near the holidays, we believe test results will be favorable leading to a broader national market for Christian based PC games."

Left Behind: Eternal Forces has always been a controversial title, generation concern for its promotion of violence against non-Christians, it's seemingly sexist and racist content, and the fact that it's just an awful bloody game. Just goes to show that violence, bigotry and poor quality is A-Okay in America, so long as it's done in the name of baby Jesus.

MURRIETA, Calif., Nov. 4, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Left Behind Games Inc.
(OTCBB:LFBG), dba Inspired Media Entertainment, a leading publisher of Christian
video games, reports that the Walmart test market for Christian video games in
Texas appears to be progressing beyond the company's original expectations. A
representative who has been making on-site checks to verify sales, reports that
just two weeks after the initial inventory was displayed, approximately 25% of
the games have been sold.

Troy Lyndon, CEO says, "At the rate Walmart inventory is moving, they will be
out of games before Christmas, unless they reorder. We started sending out
letters of appeal to Texas-based church pastors on October 12th, and plan to
reach more than 10,000 churches over a 10-week campaign through Christmas. With
seven weeks remaining, and accelerated sales expected as we near the holidays,
we believe test results will be favorable leading to a broader national market
for Christian based PC games."

To enhance the company's marketing impact and increase sales, Left Behind Games
is distributing "Buy one from Walmart and get another FREE from us" mailers in
areas surrounding each participating Walmart store. This special promotion is
open to anyone anywhere. To take advantage of the offer, and/or find the nearest
Walmart store carrying the games, go to www.inspiredmedia.com/walmart.

Christian products have gained popular acceptance in the music and book sections
of retailers over recent years. For many years, Walmart stores have sold gospel
music and both fictional and non-fictional Christian books, including the
well-known Left Behind book series which has sold more than 65 million copies.
Yet, there are few, if any, moral or Bible-based video game choices for youth
and adults alike. With the introduction of the newest Left Behind and Charlie
Church Mouse PC video games as well as Keys of the Kingdom in approximately 100
Texas Walmart stores, the immediate response from consumers indicates a solid
level of interest in these products.

About Left Behind Games Inc.

Left Behind Games Inc., also known as Inspired Media Entertainment
(www.inspiredmedia.com), has become one of the world's leading independent
developers and publishers of quality interactive entertainment products that
perpetuate positive values and appeal to mainstream and faith-based audiences.
For samples for your church or school, you can go to www.supportgoodgames.com
and www.inspiredmedia.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered
forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified
by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends,"
"plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "will," or words of
similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the
outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such
forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as
well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which
are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that
are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from
these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties
including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel,
and our ability to develop other profitable titles for current generation
platforms, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games,
the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our reliance on
a primary distribution service provider for a significant portion of our
products, and our ability to raise capital if needed. Other important factors
and information are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, in the section entitled "Risk Factors,"
and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed via
a link from www.inspiredmedia.com on our Investor Relations page. All
forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and
apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to
update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.

Continue: More Also, God stories





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next 50 comments

69 comments | showing # 1 to 50

DonHonk's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:21
DonHonk
Bring on the RELIGION IS STUPID

and

SOUTHERNERS ARE STUPID comments.

Oh wait I just summed up all responses to this. No need to post people. Just move on.
Higgins's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:25
Higgins
No, just fundamentalist christianity is stupid. Not all religion.
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:25
Joseph Leray
Man, Southerners sure are stupid. They sure don't have anything like well respected universities or a unique literary and musical traditi ...

oh wait.

For the record, Texas is totally different from the rest of the South. That place is all its own.
KrazyKraut's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:26
KrazyKraut
God bless you all!
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:26
Magnalon
Religion-toid.
Mockingbird's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:27
Mockingbird
Nothing surprises me anymore.
Ruben Hanssen's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:27
Ruben Hanssen
Where's Jack Thompson when we need him? :<
aaronf's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:35
aaronf
> generation concern for its promotion of violence against non-Christians, it's seemingly sexist
> and racist content, and the fact that it's just an awful bloody game.

Are you describing the game or the Bible?
DaveFrehley's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:36
DaveFrehley
I hear the game has a secret hidden level called "Hot jesus juice" where you solicit sex from an underage male prostitute.
SuitcoatAvenger's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:37
SuitcoatAvenger
The /lolwut/ of all of this is that this game has been out for awhile, right? I remember hearing about it years ago. I mean, having your entire back catalog of boxed copies in the warehouse sell out must be nice, but I think the definition of a true sales 'victory' has to be re-examined. Game didn't sell until it hit Walmart. Approach that as you will.
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:37
Everyday Legend
@ Higgins
No, fundamental anything carries high risk of stupidity.
Acid's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:38
Acid
Ruben has a point... hey, Dtoid! Could you try and reach old Jack for his opinion on this? It would be bloody interesting to hear, you know...
VaeVictus's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:40
VaeVictus
Nothing like some good ole stereotyping.

1) Have you played it? (No, I haven't)
2) If it were a game about another religion (say Islam) would you even be allowed to post it on the interwebs?
3) So sad. I find some of your entries very entertaining. I find others (such as this one) sad.

Shocker, people from England have bad teeth and every third person is a pikey. I learned that from watching tv.
Qraze's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:40
Qraze
still waiting on my Huck Finn game with original wording.
Bioautographical's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:41
Bioautographical
Hey. I've lived in the South most of my life. It IS home to such wonderful things as red beans n' rice, the Delta blues, a good bit of as yet undeveloped forest and farm land (it's great to still have trees), and so on.

However, it's also home to a massive amount of religious fundamentalism, horrible obesity rates, lower educational standards, and other negatives. It's just part of it.

I could name ten reasons off the top of my head why I'd never want to move West or North. And I'm sure someone in those regions could name just as many for why they'd never move to the South. Butthurting is not necessary just because someone points out a negative about where you live. I don't mind the South, but I'll NEVER deny that religious wackos abound here. Hell, a justice in Louisiana just had to resign because he refused to marry a mixed couple. We still have a lot of maturing to do.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:44
Jim Sterling
"Shocker, people from England have bad teeth and every third person is a pikey. I learned that from watching tv."

Stereotypes don't come from thin air, y'know, and while they never apply to *everyone*, as a Brit I can confirm that bad teeth and pikies are pretty justified in many areas of the country.

Just because something's a stereotype, doesn't make it untrue. In fact there's usually fire attached to that smoke.
GoldenGamerXero's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:50
GoldenGamerXero
I've learned that I have to hide any sign that I'm a christain lest I be aproached by fundies who think it's ok to hate gays as long as their priest tells them and that evolution doesn't exist. OR attacked by anti-thesists who try to tell me why I'm such an idiot for believing in things that I actually don't (see part 1)

@VaeVictus

It's not the religion that's the problem it's the things that people in this game do for the sake of it. Though I do agree that everyone should read up more on it if only to avoid making a comment that sounds like something said by the daily mail.
Turbofail's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:50
Turbofail
"RAPE IS WRONG"
"I heard Jesus raped a chick"
"RAPE IS GREAT"
dwolfwood's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:55
dwolfwood
What a non-surprise but hey maybe it'll make those tards trying to ban video games ease up if they have their racist/sexist game.

Still fucked up.
loquax's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 11:55
loquax
I believe in Wodan. Guess what today is? Wednesday. That's WODAN'S DAY for anyone who doesn't know. How many days does Jesus have?

Exactly
BoBoTheChimp757's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:01
BoBoTheChimp757
YES! A Jim Sterling post not referencing FOX News! Oh wait...still has the anti-Christian rabble rousing though. Shucks.
Nic128's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:02
Nic128
What would Jesus play....
RenagadePanda's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:02
RenagadePanda
You must construct additional pray-lons.
crila's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:06
crila
I <3 the south, and I <3 videogames. Now pass the grits, and hand me my controller!!
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:08
Jim Sterling
"YES! A Jim Sterling post not referencing FOX News! Oh wait...still has the anti-Christian rabble rousing though. Shucks."

I do over ten posts a day. Even if I did one FOX reference a day, that would be less than 10% of my overall output. I don't even reference FOX once a day. Usually once a week, if that. As far as "anti-Christian" posts go, I have tackled religion maybe ten times in the three years I've worked here.

So yeah, would you like to continue this hyperbole or not?
pakard29's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:11
pakard29
Hun, after looking this game up I learned that Jack Thompson actually rejected this game because he thought that it encoraged Christian to preform acts of violence against non-Christians, wow I'm surpised Jack Thompson would actually be that objective, It almost makes me respect him, almost
MaximusPaynicus's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:11
MaximusPaynicus
Praise be to Bob and have a Happy St. Boccaccio Day.
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:18
Elsa
It's just sad that people will buy a label. Christians being coerced into buying a Christian game (through their Churches yet) - even if it's a poor game. It's the same with parents that buy "educational" games for their kids, or people that buy "girl games" for their daughter or even people that will buy every indie game out there cause they want to support "indie devs".

A good game is a good game. A bad game is a bad game.

If Christians want to play a Christian game, it seems that Little Big Planet might be a better choice. Nothing much offensive in that game (provided they watch what user-created levels they play) and they can even create their own levels.
CelicaCrazed's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:22
CelicaCrazed
So how many copies were actually sold?? From the sounds of it, even if they sold all their copies they still wouldn't register a blip on the NDP sales charts.
colt4by5's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:22
colt4by5
"Just because something's a stereotype, doesn't make it untrue. In fact there's usually fire attached to that smoke."

Words to live by. Seems so obvious, but yet it's practically taboo to talk about.
Tronjoy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:30
Tronjoy
I wonder if that means that Dante's Inferno will sell well too. It's about hell, and us southern Christians looooove hell.
Bear Guts's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:32
Bear Guts
Not the baby Jesus, dude, this is about the grown up Jesus killing people with his beautiful face.
stevenxonward's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:41
stevenxonward
Joseph Leray said things that are almost entirely true. Denton and most of North Texas are the exceptions.
MaximusPaynicus's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:49
MaximusPaynicus
Leray and stevenxonward are right -- the Dallas area is, strangely enough, quite liberal in comparison to San Antonio on south.

Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle are lost causes, though. Never been to Oklahoma so I can't really say.
Professor Pew's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:53
Professor Pew
Isn't that game from 2005? I tried it and it was near unplayable after an hour or three :(

Damn punkers kept shooting at my converter units!
Capt Hilarious's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 12:55
Capt Hilarious
Finally a successful Kirk Cameron game and everyone is complaining. Why?
stevenxonward's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:01
stevenxonward
@ Capt Hilarious

I live in San Antonio now, and before I lived in Corpus Christi (south texas). It's actually not that conservative. It's the rural/farming cities like Floresville near San Antonio or Sinton near Corpus Christi that surround the metro areas that make Texas seem conservative. Texas would probably be a blue state if a greater portion of the rural, non-white population would actually vote.

The urban population becomes a bit outnumbered as you move closer and out past Dallas.
stevenxonward's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:02
stevenxonward
Actually, that should've been @ MaximusPaynicus.
Greylocke's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:06
Greylocke
I thought I was reading an old article. Didn't this game come out a few years ago?
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:09
Joseph Leray
@Maximus -- actually, Mississippi isn't that bad depending on where you live. If you cut the lowest performing, say, dozen counties out, the rest of the state would be pretty close to average when it comes to tax base, literacy, employment, teen pregnancy, etc.

Of course, that's true of most places, I would imagine. I certainly don't think my area of the 'Sip is a lost cause -- it's actually improved since I left, and it wasn't a bad place to group up when I was there.

Also, for what's it's worth, Autobiographical is right.
Engelium's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:10
Engelium
I have yet to hear one person say they've tried the game and here we are taking a big dump on it and how crazy it is. I would expect more research, especially from the site writers before going on here and saying what other people on the internet are saying. I haven't played it either, maybe it is crap or just plain old crazy but it's kinda unfair of me to say so without even playing it.

As for Christians getting coerced into buying games or not I am sure it is the minority of them that are even buying this game so I am sure they will survive if the game is as horrible as you guys are saying...
Br0th3rGr1mm's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:29
Br0th3rGr1mm
"Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle are lost causes, though."

Might I offer you a hardy, warm and gracious "Fuck Off!", from everyone here in the Magnolia state!
Trezamere's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:32
Trezamere
@Engelium

I agree, I'd like to actually read about this game before forming an opinion (I know that's a rarity these days, WHAT RELIGION?!? RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE; WHAT REPUBLICANS?!? RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE etc).
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:33
Everyday Legend
Born in the Florida Panhandle - can totally vouch for the rampant religious fanaticism in that area.

You see, there's a subtle, beautiful difference between religion and faith. Faith is a privately held belief based on moral standing and ethical behavior, while religion is the forcing of one's private faith onto another's will publicly.

That's your fundamental difference.
Amnesiac's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 13:36
Amnesiac
I really do hate where I live sometimes.
peachboy's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:03
peachboy
id actually love to hear what jack thompson thinks of this.

also, lol religion.
kefkaesque's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:05
kefkaesque
Just goes to show that violence, bigotry and poor quality is A-Okay in America, so long as it's done in the name of baby Jesus.

Freedom of Speech is superior to your opinion on the content.
HEL105's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:13
HEL105
@Jospeh Leray
What part of Mississippi are you from?
kefkaesque's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:13
kefkaesque
I guess I'll extend my comment before I get blasted for not supporting MF2 and defending this. I never ever said that MW2 shouldn't be sold or that it should be censored, I just didn't agree with the content, doesn't mean I don't believe that it doesn't have a right to be. Same with this, the content in this game is retarded in my opinion and I would never ever buy it, but like everything else it has a right to exist whether anyone likes it or not.
Joseph Leray's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/04/2009 14:19
Joseph Leray
@HEL105

I'm from Amory. It's about half an hour south of Tupelo on Hwy. 45.
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