Jailed ArmA 3 devs wait out Greek strike

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"Obviously, being in a foreign prison they don’t feel great"

The twoCzechArmA 3developers held on espionage charges in Greece have been jailed for more than a month, and resolution to the international imbroglio is being delayed by labor issues. Bohemia Interactive's creative director Jay Crowe spoke with PC Gamer about the pair's condition, and for more details on why they were arrested in the first place.

The Greek Justice System is currently on indefinite strike, which the pair's lawyer said on a public support website will last at least until October 20. Regulations stipulate they must see trial within 120 days after their arrest.

Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar were vacationing on the Greek island of Lemnos, the real-world inspiration for ArmA 3's island of Limnos. They were arrested for allegedly photographing sensitive military operations, though supporters have already gathered what they call much more detailed photos and videos of the installations easily available online.

"From what we understand, Ivan and Martin didn’t enter any military areas and — from what their lawyer has presented thus far in the media — it’s impossible to think that they’ve documented anything that could even remotely be classified as 'espionage,'" Crowe said.

While Bohemia Interactive has conducted location research on the island before, Crowe said its outings have never extended beyond normal tourist activities.

Development on ArmA III has continued in Buchta and Pezlar's absence, though Crowe said at this point most of the work is shoring up the game for its public alpha.

Connor Sheridan
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 was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.