CI Games Makes Time Stand Still

Time will stand still in the virtual world when the clock strikes 5pm tomorrow as an international tribute to the heroes of the Warsaw Rising.

Those playing the video game Enemy Front will find that their computer freezes for a minute as a tribute to the military resistance action in Nazi-occupied Europe that broke out back on 1 August 1944.

What was to become the largest military resistance action in Europe was planned for just a few days but lasted more than two months. For 70 years, the people of Warsaw and other cities across Poland have commemorated those that died during the rising in an impressive event known as W Hour.

During W Hour, the city literally freezes for 60 seconds to the sounds of sirens, with residents, cars and public transport stopping in the streets and observing a minute of silence.

Enemy Front video game’s action is set during the Warsaw Rising, so it is fitting that CI Games (the game’s creator) is getting people involved in W Hour from the comfort of their own homes.

The game will stop for exactly one minute and players will have the chance to find out why by clicking an icon and watching a video (above). The campaign was created by McCann Worldgroup Poland and will be supported through a website and social media.

“The purpose of our event is simple: to promote international awareness of the Warsaw Rising. Whilst working on Enemy Front, we realized that this shared history and the day itself, whilst of enormous significance for the people of Poland, is barely known outside the boundaries of our country. This is why we took such great care to re-create a historically accurate depiction of the events that took place in wartime Warsaw, whilst retaining great respect for all involved in the conflict, within our game,” says Marek Tymiński, CEO of CI Games.

“Now, 70 years after the Rising, we hope that, though this event, we can help the world understand the importance of that fateful day in Warsaw and why it is important to honour the memory of all those who fell in in combat, helping us to achieve freedom.”