Battlefield 1: Italian Alpini didn't like Monte Grappa setting

Battlefield 1 is the latest game in the long-running series created by DICE, now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

As you no doubt already know, the setting chosen for this new entry in the series is World War 1, a war which, as you will probably be aware, was particularly hard and where many young soldiers died, including those who came from the unprepared and new Italian army.

Among the various locations in the new game (you can read our review here), there's Monte Grappa, where the mission "Avanti Savoia" takes place, and it's this location and mission that have proven controversial in Italy among the Alpini corps.

The reason behind the backlash is due to the fact that, according to the Alpini troopers, choosing this location as an in-game setting is disrespectful because of the many deaths that happened there. Talking to an Italian newspaper, Alpini National Association's President, Sebastiano Favero, stated the following:

"I am completely unfavourable to such a thing, I think it's not appropriate to transform such a sacred place in a video game. The Monte Grappa should be remembered for the sacrifice of those who fought and died there [...]. Sensitive topics, such as the war, especially these days, should be addressed in a different way and not in a deviant way like this".

A counsellor of Regione Veneto, Sergio Berlato, has also shown his displeasure and said: "It's a real sacrilege, because only who doesn't love and doesn't know Grappa can image a game like this. I thought it's disrespectful for an area that has seen tens of thousands of young people to die to defend their homeland".

It seems Battlefield 1 may have hard times ahead in Italy. The question is, then, do you think DICE's new shooter is being disrespectful, or is it perfectly fine for a developer to explore this period of history as they see fit?