At the start of the Back 4 Blood Early Access Open Beta, Kotaku published an article titled Back 4 Blood Beta Players Think They Hear Zombies Yelling The N-Word. I've read this article before jumping into the game myself. Hence, while playing the game, I was on the lookout for the n-word myself. Surely, I told myself, there's no way any sane developer would put something like that in their game. I also thought that no publisher – Warner Bros. Interactive, no less – would ever allow something like this to pass. Regardless, I played Back 4 Blood with my friends to write my review, and kept a close ear on my stereo. So, was the n-word really make it to the final cut of the game?

Well, based on my experience playing Back 4 Blood, it doesn't seem like it. I had audio caption on, too, so definitely the n-word wasn't reflected on the captions. The closest word I heard to the n-word was a shout of “Stinger” from one of the characters, and from there I believed that the n-word people have been hearing may have just been a mish-mash of sounds that appeared to sound like the n-word.

But obviously, the audio clip I'm talking about isn't the same as the one other players heard and were able to record. Their experience showcased a much more audible sound of the n-word, spoken by one of the Riddens. The sound they made is strong enough that it's audible and unmistakable. This is very undesirable. You're already attacked by zombies left and right. The least you want to hear is the n-word from a zombie that's racist beyond the grave.

Warner Bros. Interactive says “n-word” is not in Back 4 Blood game files

Looking back on the same article today, I found out that Kotaku published an update on the issue. It turned out that they asked both Turtle Rock Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive for comment. Warner Bros. came back to them with a comment, saying:

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“Our team has been made aware of offensive language that can be heard when playing the game. This was not recorded or ever intended to be part of our gameplay. The audio is a result of two different Ridden growls that are playing simultaneously and when heard together sound like that word. We are working diligently to fix this issue, which should be completed either in time for the Beta, or when the game launches.”

That means, had the game actually had the game file with the n-word in it, it won't be in the final build of the game. Thank goodness, even if it turned out that the n-word really is just a few soundbites that overlapped and unfortunately sounded like that. Hopefully, none of those who heard it took it as a serious offense. While it's a serious issue, Turtle Rock Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive would obviously not allow something like that to appear in the game. Or at least, that's what they want us to believe.