Penguin Colony blocked from sale in Israel at developer's request

A horror game played entirely through the eyes of a penguin will not be sold in Israel.

Publisher Fellow Traveller said developer Origame Digital asked for the sales block, and that it fully supports the decision, in comments reported on 20 October 2026. Eurogamer

Fellow Traveller said the block was intended to demonstrate solidarity with Palestine in the absence of more organised sanctions. The publisher attributed the request directly to the studio. Origame Digital is the New Zealand-based team behind Umurangi Generation, a photography game set in a future Aotearoa.

Penguin Colony is its latest release. It is played as a penguin. The game is a Lovecraftian horror story, meaning horror inspired by writer H.P. Lovecraft's tales of cosmic dread, and is based on his novella At the Mountains of Madness.

The story is set in 1939. Publisher materials describe it as a slow-burning horror story about obsession, colonialism and madness. Fellow Traveller It has been described elsewhere as a retro-styled walking simulator, a type of game focused on exploration and atmosphere rather than combat.

The release also includes a direct political statement. Penguin Colony features a post-credits scene which states that the games industry's cowardice during what it calls Israel's genocide of Palestine will be recorded by the art it makes. That wording comes from the game itself.

For players, this means availability is split by region and platform. Penguin Colony is currently available on PC, with console editions planned for 2027. A demo was released ahead of launch in June, giving players an early section to explore.

What makes this stand out is the method. Region blocks stop a sale in a specific country through storefront settings, rather than changing what is in the game elsewhere.