No more Chilean miner Mr. Driller wallpaper

Yesterday, Namco Bandai Japan released a commemorative Mr. Driller wallpaper celebrating the Chilean Miners, who were trapped underground for over two months, safe return to the surface. Today, they pulled it.

Apparently, Namco Bandai thought that the wallpaper featuring the chipper Susumu and Puchi was a bit too chipper, considering the gravity of the situation. So if you check Namco Bandai’s Twitter, it’s no longer there. Instead, there’s an apology from Namco Bandai offering their regrets for their action. So a situation that was already sort of surreal just got even stranger.

Granted, the whole celebrating the rescue with a Mr. Driller wallpaper was a bit unorthodox, but it really wasn’t offensive. It had a very positive message on it. (“Welcome back!” in Spanish.) The characters looked very bright, happy and encouraging. I can’t see why anyone would be hurt by it. Maybe it was the use of the Chilean flag in the background? What do you think, was the Mr. Driller Chilean miner rescue celebration wallpaper innocent or offensive?

Read [Namco Bandai Twitter (Japan)] Via [ はちま起稿 (Japanese)] Also Read [Kotaku] Also Read [ Gamertell]