GOG’s promotional newsletter for The End of the Sun included Slavic runes that appeared as Nazi SS symbols on multiple devices, sparking a major controversy and questions about the platform’s review process.
GOG, the DRM-free digital games storefront formerly owned by CD Projekt, sent a promotional newsletter on June 5, 2026, that included symbols widely associated with the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS). The email, which promoted the Slavic mythology game The End of the Sun, reached approximately half of GOG’s roughly 8 million newsletter subscribers before the company halted the mailout. The incident has sparked intense debate about content review processes, cultural symbol sensitivity, and corporate accountability in the gaming industry.
What Exactly Was in the Email?
The newsletter’s subject line, titled “Slavic Adventure,” contained four runic symbols. Among them were a Sonnenrad (sun wheel), a kolovrat, and most critically, two Sowilō runes placed side by side. The Sowilō rune is a Proto-Germanic symbol meaning “sun,” but when doubled, it forms the unmistakable double Siegrune: the insignia of the Nazi SS, which PC Gamer described as “quite possibly second only to the swastika as the most distinctive emblem of the Nazi regime.”
The rendering issue compounded the problem. The Unicode Sowilō character (ᛋ) displayed as ϟ on many devices, including mobile phones. This character is visually identical to the SS lightning bolt. The email also used an outdated logo for The End of the Sun that contained a Sonnenrad more closely resembling the Nazi Black Sun symbol, rather than the game’s current “roseta” (flower-like sun) logo.
How Did GOG Respond?
GOG posted an apology on X (formerly Twitter) acknowledging “a series of mistakes.” The statement cited incorrect rune placement, use of the wrong game logo, failure to check mobile rendering, and a breakdown in communication: feedback from the German quality assurance team was not applied to other language versions of the newsletter.
A verified GOG representative provided additional context on Reddit, stating: “I also recognize that placing two such runes next to each other could create an unfortunate association with symbols used by the Nazi regime. This was noticed before distribution, and out of respect for local sensitivities, the material was not sent to the German community.”
This admission became the most contentious element of the entire incident. If GOG identified the risk before sending the email, the obvious question, as users quickly pointed out, is why it was still distributed to every other region. GOG said it stopped the mailout when the error was noticed, but roughly half of all subscribers had already received it.
The GOG Representative’s Controversial Defence
The Reddit statement went further than the official X apology. The GOG representative, identifying as Polish, argued that the Sowilō rune is part of their cultural heritage and that symbols with a history spanning more than a thousand years should not be defined solely by their modern-era misuse. “Allowing that would mean accepting that those who corrupted these symbols now own their meaning,” the representative wrote.
This framing drew sharp criticism. While the pre-Nazi history of these symbols is academically documented, as PC Gamer’s Andy Chalk noted, “the problem with the runes isn’t their placement, it’s that they are explicitly and indelibly associated with Nazis and white supremacists. Just as with the swastika, their meaning prior to the Third Reich is irrelevant.” Many community members saw the cultural heritage defence as a deflection from the failure to prevent a foreseeable controversy.
What Did The End of the Sun Developers Say?
The End of the Sun is a first-person narrative adventure game rooted in Slavic folklore, developed by a Polish husband-and-wife team. It launched on January 29, 2025, on Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG at $24.99, with a PlayStation 5 release following in April 2026.
The development team distanced themselves from GOG’s newsletter entirely. In a Reddit post, they wrote: “We don’t know why GOG used symbols in their newsletter. Really, we were also totally surprised when we saw the logo in the newsletter (the old logo) and the symbols next to the newsletter title.” The developers speculated that an AI recommendation might have been responsible for the symbol choices.
The team explained that their game uses the kolovrat symbol as a representation of the “God of the Sun,” based on historical sources from ancient statues. They acknowledged that after realising the symbol’s association with far-right groups, they had already changed the game’s logo to a more neutral roseta design. The game itself even addresses how ancient symbols were co-opted by the Nazi regime, making the marketing controversy especially ironic.
Multiple Explanations Created More Questions
One of the most damaging aspects of the incident was the shifting nature of GOG’s explanations. The official X post blamed placement errors and rendering issues. The Reddit representative’s statement introduced the cultural heritage angle and confirmed prior awareness of the risk. The developers suggested AI involvement. TechEchelon reported that GOG also cited being understaffed during a Polish bank holiday as a contributing factor.
These overlapping, and at times conflicting, accounts drew as much scrutiny as the original email. As multiple outlets noted, the internal review process that allowed the material to reach subscribers outside Germany, after the rendering issue had already been flagged, remains the central unanswered question. GOG has announced it is “revising our review process to enforce more checks and catch these mistakes earlier,” but no specific structural changes or personnel decisions have been disclosed.
Why Do These Symbols Matter So Much?
The double Siegrune, designed by Walter Heck based on Guido von List’s Armanen rune system, was the official emblem of the SS. In Germany, its public display is a criminal offence under post-war denazification laws. Several other countries, including Australia’s state of Victoria, have enacted legislation specifically banning Nazi symbols including the SS sig rune.
The broader tension around ancient symbols co-opted by the Nazi regime is not new. The swastika, used across Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions for millennia, remains effectively unusable in Western public contexts due to its Nazi association. The kolovrat, a Slavic sun wheel, faces similar challenges. While the historical origins of these symbols are well-documented, their modern connotations in global contexts, particularly in commercial communications reaching millions, cannot be dismissed by appeals to pre-20th century meaning alone.
GOG’s Recent History Adds Context
GOG operates in a unique position within the PC gaming ecosystem. The platform holds less than 5% of the PC digital distribution market, with 2024 revenue of $51.6 million. In December 2025, CD Projekt sold GOG to co-founder Michał Kiciński for $25.3 million (PLN 90.7 million), making it an independent company focused on DRM-free gaming and game preservation. The platform catalogues around 11,000 to 12,000 games and prides itself on providing offline installers and optional use of its GOG Galaxy launcher.
The newsletter incident comes at a sensitive moment for the platform. Just two days before the controversial email, on June 3, 2026, GOG announced Turkish Lira support and regional pricing for the Turkish market, part of its expansion strategy under new ownership. The symbol controversy risks overshadowing these growth efforts and damaging trust among the platform’s loyal but comparatively small user base.
Questions Readers Keep Asking
Was this intentional or an accident?
No definitive evidence points to deliberate intent. GOG’s official position is that it was a chain of errors compounded by poor communication, understaffing, and inadequate device testing. However, the confirmed pre-send awareness of the issue, combined with the decision to exclude only Germany, has left many users unconvinced by the “accident” framing.
Is The End of the Sun a far-right game?
No. The game is a narrative adventure based on Slavic mythology and folklore. Its developers have publicly stated their opposition to Nazi ideology and noted that the game itself explains how ancient symbols were co-opted by the Nazi regime. The controversy stems entirely from GOG’s marketing email, not from the game’s content.
Could AI have caused this?
The developers speculated that the symbol selections might have been AI-generated recommendations. Some community members on GOG’s forums and Reddit have echoed this theory. GOG has not confirmed or denied AI involvement in the newsletter creation process.
Has GOG made any structural changes since?
GOG has stated it is revising its review processes to include more checks. No specific organisational changes, personnel decisions, or detailed new policies have been announced as of June 9, 2026. The platform’s core services, including its DRM-free catalogue and newly launched regional pricing, remain unaffected.
