ArmA 3 developers denied bail; 70 days so far in Greek jail

Two ArmA 3 developers remain jailed in Greece, with bond and an appeal against their espionagechargesboth denied, Eurogamer reports from Czech news site Rozhlas. Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar have been imprisoned for 70 days, awaiting trial as the Greek legal system remains paralyzed by labor strikes.

The pair were arrested while on vacation to the Greek island of Lemnos in September, real-life inspiration for the ArmA 3 setting of Limnos. Their travels across the island and alleged recording of sensitive military installations were taken to be espionage by Greek authorities, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Buchta's father Miloslav described their conditions as leaving much to be desired, despite initial insistence from the two that they were getting by alright.

"They're in a cell with over 25 people, they sleep on the ground," Miloslav Buchta said. "They have food twice a day."

One of their mothers said the imprisonment (which is supposed to last a maximum of 120 days before seeing trial) is beginning to take its toll.

“Our boys no longer tell us on the phone that it's alright, that they're handling it," she said. "After the court's decision we only hear from them something that no parent ever wants to hear: Mom, dad, please save us."

Meanwhile, fans as well as DayZ creator Dean "Rocket" Hall have organized campaigns for the release of Buchta and Pezlar. The pair's families say the foreign ministry has not done enough to help and they are escalating the matter to the Czech prime minister and president,

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.