Software:ARMA 3

ARMA
Developer(s)	Bohemia Interactive
Publisher(s)	Bohemia Interactive
Director(s)	Joris-Jan van 't Land Jay Crowe
Producer(s)	Marek Španěl
Programmer(s)	Ondřej Martinák Vojtěch Hladík
Artist(s)	David Zapletal
Composer(s)	Ondřej Matějka Grigorij Tolkačev Nathan McCree
Series	ARMA
Engine	Real Virtuality 4
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Release	Microsoft Windows WW: September 12, 2013 OS X, Linux WW: August 31, 2015
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

ARMA 3 is an open-world, realism-based, military tactical shooter video game developed and published by Bohemia Interactive exclusively through the Steam distribution platform. It was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2013, and later announced for macOS and Linux in August 2015.

ARMA 3 mainly takes place in the mid-2030s, on the islands of Altis and Stratis in the Aegean Sea, and the South Pacific island of Tanoa, as well as the island of Malden and a landlocked terrain set in the historical region of Livonia. The islands feature photo-realistic terrain and water environments. Altis is the largest official terrain in the ARMA series with ground area covering approximately 270 square kilometres (100 sq mi). The smaller island, Stratis, expands over an area of 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi).

The single-player campaign has the player take control of U.S. Army soldier Corporal Ben Kerry. During the campaign, the player is placed in a variety of situations, from lone wolf infiltration missions to the commanding of large-scale armored operations. The player is able to choose different objectives and weaponry (such as UAVs, artillery, and air support) according to their play style.

Since its initial release, the ARMA 3 platform has been actively maintained and extended by Bohemia Interactive and publishing partners with almost twenty significant game engine updates and DLC releases, including most recently, in 2021, a major Vietnam War era DLC expansion S.O.G Prairie Fire.

ARMA 3 also has a very active modding community that has published nearly 90,000 mods, adding thousands of additional terrains, buildings, vehicles, weapons, placeable objects, missions, campaigns, and game mechanics enhancements, most of which are freely and easily available from the Steam Workshop.

Despite its relative age, ARMA 3 maintains a substantial player community, often being in the top 50 games (by active players) on Steam, with hundreds of official and community multi-player servers, community groups, and many dedicated ARMA 3 mil-sim realism groups.

Synopsis

Overview

ARMA 3 is set in the 2030s, when a new Eastern military alliance, known as the Canton-Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty (CSAT), led by Iran and China , is growing in global influence, while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is on the decline.

The story of ARMA 3 takes place over a variety of campaigns which introduce the player to the world of the game and give them new things to discover and challenges to overcome. There are four large story-based campaigns and a variety of smaller ones that take players through unique scenarios as different characters. The four main campaigns are:

• The base campaign The East Wind and the prologue, which are set on the fictional Republic of Altis and Stratis following a military coup by the Altis Armed Forces. The campaigns concern the firsthand experiences of various NATO peacekeepers trying to stop fighting between the new government and the former government-in-exile, who are waging guerilla warfare, as relations between the AAF and NATO deteriorate.
• Apex Protocol, a campaign concerning the NATO black ops unit the Combat and Technology Research Group (CTRG) and their attempts to stop China from acquiring a seismic weapon of mass destruction. The campaign was released with the ARMA 3: Apex DLC and includes the terrain of Tanoa, a former French colony in Southeast Asia. The campaign is fully multiplayer and designed to be played with up to 4 different players.
• Remnants of War, a morally-focused mostly non-combat campaign surrounding the International Development and Aid Project, a humanitarian NGO and their work in the Altian village of Oreokastro. The player controls bomb disposal expert Nathan McDade as he reminisces about his previous time in the village and recounts his firsthand experiences to a news reporter. Remnants of War was released with the ARMA 3: Laws of War DLC, which in addition added new props for placing in the editor, new mine-clearing mechanics and a variety of drones.
• First Contact, a non-canon spinoff set in the fictional Polish-speaking country of Livonia. The campaign concerns the deterioration of relations between the Livonian Defence Force and NATO as unidentified phenomena begin to pop up around the country and cause catastrophic damage to infrastructure. The campaign was released under the ARMA 3: Contact DLC, which featured the new terrain of Livonia and a variety of other content. The selling point of the DLC was its focus on extraterrestrial life, however the fantastical elements of Contact, including the aliens and advanced technology, are an optional piece of content that can be loaded from the game's launcher.

The East Wind

The East Wind is broken into a three-act structure, with each act concerning a different state of affairs regarding the crisis on Altis. The acts are titled Survive, Adapt and Win respectively. Survive concerns the player character (NATO Corporal Ben Kerry) trying to survive while being hunted by the AAF. Adapt involves him and an FIA cell (the government-in-exile) on Altis waging guerilla warfare against the AAF. Win involves Kerry and the FIA linking up with NATO forces as they push the AAF back into a surrender.

Survive

Flag of Altis and Stratis

Following continued fighting between the AAF and FIA, NATO peacekeepers are preparing to leave the country. This is interrupted when the AAF, seemingly without provocation, attack NATO forces and a state of war is de facto declared. Kerry regroups with a British special forces unit led by Captain Scott Miller after his commanding officer is killed. Miller organizes a number of ineffective guerilla missions against the AAF from Camp Maxell on Stratis in an attempt to get a foothold. Kerry assists his surviving allies in an assault on Air Station Mike-26 to make contact with NATO, but this fails and the equipment is destroyed. Afterwards, Miller's group meets with an FIA operative named Nikos Panagopoulos, who informs them of a cache on the island, which they find trashed by the AAF. After numerous skirmishes, Miller informs his team that he reached NATO MEDCOM and that their job is clear out a town to the south to stage a landing zone for reinforcements. They are initially successful, but a CSAT strike force fires on them, killing most of the remaining survivors, and they are forced to flee to Altis, where they plan to meet up with the FIA. While fleeing Stratis, their flotilla of speedboats is attacked by AAF planes and most of the vessels are capsized.

Adapt

Kerry washes up on the beaches of Kavala and makes his way to Miller's second-in-command, Lt. James, in the midst of a battle. They link up with the northern cell of the FIA, led by Kostas Stavrou. Stavrou orders Kerry to command a series of dangerous missions from an old factory complex in order to regain supplies they had lost during fights against the AAF and CSAT. The operations, though costly, are successful, and they begin to go on the offensive. The FIA discover their supplier, who is revealed as Nikos, is being held on Stratis, so Kerry and Miller launch an assault on the island to rescue him. It is successful, and Nikos informs them that he has discovered that NATO are planning an invasion of Altis. Armed with this knowledge, the guerillas assault various positions near the drop zone to ensure a safe landing for NATO reinforcements. However, NATO forces arrive and fire on the guerillas, mistaking them for hostiles. Kerry flags down a crashed gunship and informs them that they're friendly, and inquires to the whereabouts of Scott Miller. The NATO commanding officer, David Armstrong, informs Kerry that they have no one in the database by the name of Scott Miller, and that the United Kingdom pulled out of Altis months before the flashpoint.

Win

Kerry links up with the NATO forces and is reluctantly assigned various unimportant jobs in the early days of the NATO offensive. Armstrong is distrustful of Kerry, due to the fact that he is the only surviving member of the peacekeepers and is in contact with an unknown special forces operator. Throughout the days following, Kerry proves his loyalty to Armstrong and is permitted to lead a squad of guerillas, and then eventually his own squad of NATO soldiers, to perform various assaults and defenses to support the main offensive. During these operations, an unusually high number of earthquakes is detected throughout the island, which temporarily disrupt NATO operations. Kerry is contacted by Armstrong, who absolves him of suspicion, but warns that he should stay out of contact with Miller and that the information is highly classified. After the assaults, the AAF is on the verge of defeat, so Armstrong orders all NATO forces to regroup for the final offensive. Right afterwards, Kerry is contacted through a broken transmission by Lieutenant James, who provides his location and asks for assistance. Depending on the choices the player makes, he can either:

• Link up with James and discover the purpose behind Miller's team and their operations (a CSAT seismic weapon of mass destruction called the Eastwind Device), and consequently start World War III by helping steal it, or
• Continue with his orders, leaving James to his fate and directing strikes on the last AAF position.

The canonical ending (choosing to obey orders) grants access to a final mission which allows the player to witness the end of the Altis flashpoint. Kerry, now promoted to Sergeant, is helping the remaining NATO forces stabilize the country. He meets a reporter at the airport and drives him to a nearby town for an interview with Nikos, who is now running for government. After Kerry says his farewells, the campaign ends.

Apex Protocol

Following a major tsunami known as the Pacific disaster, the paramilitary crime syndicate, the Syndikat, rose to power in several regions on Tanoa. Finding the Syndikat's rapid expansion suspicious, NATO sends in CTRG Group 15 to investigate.

CTRG Group 15, under callsign "Raider", deploys on Tanoa and conducts several operations against the Syndikat, destroying a Syndikat ammo depot and ambushing a Syndikat convoy. They discover evidence of CSAT support of the Syndikat. During an operation to capture the Syndikat's leader, Solomon Maru, Raider instead finds that they've been led into an ambush by the Chinese CSAT special forces Viper Team. Raider manages to escape from the ambush.

Following the ambush, Raider conducts an operation to rescue CTRG asset "Keystone". Keystone turns out to be Captain Scott Miller, leader of CTRG Group 14, who had been tracking the special CSAT device since it left Altis, which is a tectonic weapon codenamed "Eastwind". Miller believes that Viper deployed Eastwind on Tanoa, causing the Pacific disaster, and supported the Syndikat, all to destabilize Tanoa.

After rescuing Miller, CTRG raids a Viper black site on Tanoa to retrieve Eastwind. They find the black site already attacked and abandoned; Syndikat double-crossed CSAT before CTRG arrived, holding Eastwind ransom to blackmail against CSAT. CTRG did however recover files about CSAT's "Apex Protocol," which involves using operatives to destabilize strategically important nations so CSAT can provide assistance and foster CSAT support.

CTRG tracks Eastwind to a large port, where CSAT attempts to deal with Syndikat to recover Eastwind, while Maru arms Eastwind. CTRG quickly attacks, fighting against both Syndikat and Viper, and manages to kill Maru, disarm Eastwind, and secure the device. Following the operation, CSAT's Apex Protocol is exposed to the whole world, leading to international condemnation, while Eastwind is now in NATO's possession.

Remnants of War

Days after the end of the NATO invasion of Altis, a civilian mechanic from the Altis town of Oreokastro returns to the town, after hearing news that his missing brother had appeared at the town's church in a recent firefight. As he searches the church, he is killed by a landmine.

Several days later, journalist Katherine Bishop conducts an online interview with Nathan MacDade as he works on the disposal of explosive remnants of war at Oreokastro. Oreokastro, formerly a major FIA garrison and the site of an IDAP camp, was completely destroyed during the war and is now a ghost town. Nathan reminisces about Oreokastro's past as he conducts his work, and tells five stories surrounding Oreokastro during the war.

• In the first story, after the breakdown of the FIA-AAF ceasefire, NATO peacekeeper Staff Sergeant Adams led a TF Aegis squad to secure a NATO airdrop intended for the Oreokastro IDAP camp, and repelled an attack from FIA bandits.
• In the second story, a FIA fighter from Oreokastro, Alexis Kouris, sets up defenses around Oreokastro after the AAF announced their plans to assault the town.
• In the third story, Nathan recounts a rumor that a squad of supposed CSAT special forces parachuted in near Oreokastro and designated FIA positions in the town for an AAF cluster bomb air strike, destroying much of the town. Nathan notes that NATO casings were discovered on site, and it is implied that the special forces may have been NATO forces instead.
• In the fourth story, Markos Kouris, Alexis' brother and a non-combatant at Oreokastro, was heavily injured by the AAF air strike. As the AAF assaults the town, Markos limps his way to the IDAP camp at the town church, and was eventually evacuated. The town is abandoned after the assault.
• In the final story, set during the NATO invasion of Altis, AAF officers Lieutenant Antoniou Dimitriou and Major Gavras were overwhelmed by NATO-FIA forces and were pushed back to Oreokastro. The two defend themselves at the town's church, and deploy landmines for self defense. They withstand the attack and extract. Alexis is one of the casualties in the assault, leading Markos to search the church after the war, resulting in him being killed by leftover landmines.

Back at present, Katherine asks Nathan about who he thinks is most responsible for the destruction of Oreokastro: NATO, CSAT, AAF, FIA, or nobody. After Nathan responds, Katherine shows Nathan a draft of her report on the impacts the war had left on the life on Altis, the contents reflecting on the player's actions throughout the campaign. As Nathan completes the EOD operation, he bides Katherine farewell as he and his team pack up and leave Oreokastro, proceeding to their next cleanup site.

Development

Jay Crowe was the game's creative director and provided some voice acting for the game.

Bohemia Interactive officially announced the development of ARMA 3 on May 19, 2011. In June 2012 an alpha version of the game was demonstrated at E3. In August 2013, Bohemia Interactive announced that they will release three downloadable content episodes for free after the game's initial launch. An alpha version of the game was released on March 5, 2013, allowing players to experience the game during development, as well as assist in development by reporting bugs and giving feedback on their experience. The beta version was released on June 25, 2013, and anyone who owned the alpha would have their copy automatically upgraded. The final version of ARMA 3 was launched on September 12, 2013. At its launch, ARMA 3 featured more showcase missions and the large island of Altis.

ARMA 3 uses a new version of Bohemia Interactive's Real Virtuality game engine.

Downloadable content

Zeus

In February 2014 the first, free DLC for the game, entitled Zeus, was announced. It allows players to use the game's Zeus mode in multiplayer where the player(s) designated as Zeus gain god-like powers and can control scenarios in real time using a full 3D overview of the match reminiscent of the game's Eden editor's primary interface. Zeus was released on April 10, 2014.

Karts

Bohemia Interactive featured an April Fool's joke video on April 1, 2014. It announced a DLC Karts that would add a Go-kart racing into the game. The video was a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Splendid Split video using the character of Scott Miller. The video became popular and fans liked the idea so Bohemia Interactive released the DLC on May 29, 2014. The DLC added 20 types of Karts and objects useful for creating tracks and driver models. ARMA 3: Karts is the first paid DLC for ARMA 3.

Helicopters

The Helicopters DLC is second premium DLC for Arma 3 and was released on November 4, 2014. Content exclusive for owners of this DLC includes two new heavy transport helicopters, NATO's CH-67 Huron, based on the CH-47 Chinook, and CSAT's Mi-290 Taru, based on the Ka-226. It also includes single-player scenario and time trials.

The DLC was also accompanied by a platform update, which added new mechanics including firing from passenger seats of vehicles, sling loading with helicopters and an advanced flight dynamics model which is an improved version of the flight model from another Bohemia game, Take On Helicopters.

Marksmen

Marksmen is a premium DLC for Arma 3 released on April 8, 2015. Owners of the DLC get access to new equipment including new weapons, scopes, ghillie suits and single-player content.

The DLC was supported by a free update for Arma 3, which included new mechanics for weapon resting, bipods, recoil, AI suppression and sound scape alongside new content and a game mode called End Game.

Apex Expansion

ARMA 3: Apex is ARMA 3's first expansion, released on July 11, 2016. It was announced as part of Bohemia Interactive Roadmap for ARMA 3 in 2015–2016. The expansion includes some free features for users which optimize the game and act as a visual update as well. The main features for this expansion are:

• Tanoa – A new map for ARMA 3 set in the South Pacific Islands with an overall map size of 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq. mi).
• New Faction, 13 New Weapons, New Uniforms & Gear
• 10 New Vehicles

Jets

Arma 3: Jets is the first piece of DLC developed in cooperation with a partner, Bravo Zero One Studios, adding gameplay improvements and new units to the game including planes and an aircraft carrier. It is included as part of DLC Bundle 2 and was released on May 16, 2017.

Some of the aircraft included in the Jets DLC are NATO's F/A-181 Black Wasp II, based on a combination of the F/A-18E Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor of the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and To-201 Shikra, CSAT's counterpart, based on the Su-57 and Su-35. It also comes with an AAF operated jet, the A-149 Gryphon, based on the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, and the NATO operated Sentinel UCAV, based on the X-47B. The DLC also includes many performance changes and the addition of a new interactive object, a nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, the USS Freedom (CVN-83).

This DLC also includes a large sensory overhaul, changing the way radar, laser and missile tracking functions. Some of the other overhauls included in the DLC include an extended damage model and a dynamic load out system.

Malden 2035

To celebrate the 16th Anniversary of Operation Flashpoint, Bohemia Interactive announced it was working on a full recreation of one of the game's maps: the fictional Mediterranean island of Malden. It contained new assets as well as many already created for Altis and Tanoa, and was released free for all game owners in June 2017.

Laws of War

This DLC was developed by Bohemia Interactive's new studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands under the code-name Orange, and pursued an aspect of warfare not often covered by other games. This DLC was released on September 7, 2017.

The DLC added many new features, including a new faction called the International Development and Aid Project (which specialises in rapidly responding to crisis requiring humanitarian aid), a new miniature campaign for users to play, new vehicles, two new unmanned aerial vehicles, an APERS Mine Dispenser, cluster munitions, and various new clothing items.

Tac-Ops Mission Pack

This DLC is included in DLC Bundle 2 and was released in late November, 2017. It includes three distinct singleplayer military "operations" (essentially mini-campaigns), each focusing on different aspects of ground combat. Each operation requires careful planning in order to succeed but offer high replayability as the decisions the player makes can affect the outcome.

Other features include an "After Action Report" video, which includes insights for each operation from one of Bohemia Interactive's military consultants, new music tracks, new Steam achievements, and improvements to the game's scripting system in order to help players more easily create complex scenarios.

Tanks

The Tanks DLC is a premium DLC released on 11 April 2018 focusing on armoured assets. Premium content includes three vehicles, an anti-tank launcher, and a mini-campaign. An accompanying platform update brought new handling and damage models for vehicles alongside expanded anti-tank launcher systems and additional content.

Global Mobilization

This DLC was released on 29 April 2019. It includes a 10 mission singleplayer Campaign, four new factions (West Germany, East Germany, Poland and Denmark ), 70 new vehicles (with new variants), 30 weapons (with new variants), 'various' infantry clothing, new terrain and gear, and 17 multiplayer scenarios. The DLC is set in Cold War West and East Germany during the 1980s, which includes the new map of Weferlingen which is 419 km² (162 sq mi) and adds a new building style and 'fresh feel' to the Arma 3 series. Unlike other ArmA 3 DLCs, the Global Mobilization was developed by Vertexmacht.

Contact

Contact is an expansion released on 25 July 2019 set in the fictional Eastern European country of Livonia in form of a new 163 km² (63 sq mi) map. The DLC brings two new factions, the Livonian Defense Force and Russian Spetsnaz, along with new weapons and equipment.

This DLC also contains a new campaign called First Contact, in which the player takes part in a military training exercise when an alien vessel enters the atmosphere.

S.O.G Prairie Fire

This DLC was released on May 6th 2021. It includes a 6 mission co-op campaign with up to 14 players, 5 Singleplayer 'Showcase' missions, 4 new factions (US Armed Forces, People's Army of Vietnam, The Vietcong and Army of the Republic of Vietnam), 54 new vehicles (with multiple variants), 55 new weapons (with multiple variants), 41 different uniforms and a new terrain named 'Cam Lao Nam' (A combination of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam respectively). This DLC is set in the Cold War during the Vietnam War as part of Bohemia Interactive's Creator DLC Program. The new map is 300 km² and contains the three countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, a first in the Armed Assault series. Like the Global Mobilization DLC it was developed by a third party studio known as Savage Game Design, created to make Vietnam War era games.

On September 30th 2021 a free update was released adding a new terrain, 31 additional uniforms and 7 vests, 9 weapons (with multiple variants), 13 helmets and 6 new vehicles. The new terrain, named Khe Sanh, is 225 km². The update also adds the ability to play as one of three primary Navy SEAL groups that operated in Vietnam, complete with underwater diving capabilities which was previously missing in the DLC.

CSLA Iron Curtain

This DLC was released on 16th June, 2021. It includes 9 singeplayer 'scenarios', 9 multiplayer missions and 1 singleplayer 'Showcase', 2 new factions (United States Armed Forces, Czechoslovak Armed Forces), 30 new vehicles (with multiple variants), 35 new weapons (with various attachments), various new uniforms for all factions and a new terrain named 'Gabreta' with a size of 256km² . This DLC is set during the Cold War at a border region of Czechoslovakia and similar to the S.O.G Prairie Fire and Global Mobilisation DLC's it is made by a third party studio known as ČSLA Studio, a team of previous modders for the Armed Assault series.

Other content updates

The Bootcamp Update was released on 14 July 2014. It features training content, a Virtual Reality terrain, and a short campaign. The Bootcamp Campaign serves as the prequel to the main game. It follows Sergeants Conway and Adams one year prior to the Eastwind Campaign. The goal of this update was to introduce new players to the game's mechanics.

The Nexus update was released on 1 December 2015. It brought an improved version of the official multiplayer mission "End Game", a spectator mode, and multiple improvements such as soldier protection, stamina, and an audio overhaul.

The Eden update, released on 18 February 2016, added an in-game 3D editor, making the creation of missions easier. It also included launcher and server browser improvements, and an update to the audio system.

A 'Visual Update' was released with the 1.60 update, in May 2016, in advance of the Apex update.

As of 1 August 2018, the 1.84 update was released, together with the Encore content pack, which contains additional anti-air assets, fixed-wing armaments, and the fictional Liberty-class destroyer.

On 8 December 2018, the 1.86 update added the Warlords multiplayer missions, based on a capture the island (CTI) scenario.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 74/100 (38 reviews) Review scores Publication Score GameSpot 8.0/10 IGN 7/10 PC Gamer (US) 8.4/10 AusGamers 7.2/10

ARMA 3 has received favorable reviews, garnering a score of 74 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic based on 38 reviews and a user score of 7.6 based on 1048 ratings. Some reviewers praise the modifications Bohemia Interactive have done with the engine, animations and sound. However, others criticised the lack of single-player content on release.

PC Gamer selected the game to be the simulation game of the year. ARMA 3 also gained Czech game of 2013 Award for technological contribution to Czech video game output and was elected to be best Czech video game of the Year in Booom 2013. Rock, Paper, Shotgun selected ARMA 3 to be 16th best FPS of all time and the 10th best Simulation Game of all time.

The islands of Altis and Stratis also received much praise. The Guardian even included them along with Chernarus (the setting of ARMA 2 and DayZ) in its list of 10 most beautiful video game environments.

It was announced on May 28, 2014, that the game had sold one million copies. In October 2015 sales had reached two million units, and in March 2017 it reached 3 million sales.

The game has sold 5 million copies as of June 2019.

Controversies

Espionage arrests

The Greek media reported on 10 September 2012 that two Czechs were arrested on the Greek island Lemnos and charged with espionage. According to Greek media reports, the two men claimed to be working for Bohemia Interactive in an official capacity, recording videos and taking photographs for the development of ARMA 3. Under Greek law taking photographs of military installations and the like is prohibited for reasons of national security. Prior to the incident, the issue of the game causing potential threats to Greek national security was discussed in the Greek Parliament in 2011.

The two were initially identified as David Zapletal and Pavel Guglava, although it was later confirmed that the two were actually Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta. The duo's employee status under Bohemia Interactive was confirmed, but the company later stated that they were on the island "with the sole purpose of experiencing the island's beautiful surroundings". Buchta and Pezlar refuted the charges of espionage, maintaining that they "went just to a holiday [...] to enjoy the beauty of the island", noting that the layout of the virtual island in the development studio "was practically done" prior to their arrival, and that any video or photographic recordings were intended for memorabilia purposes and that they would have little or no use in the game's development. After being held in custody for 128 days, the Greek government released the arrested developers from jail on 15 January 2013.

While the two were imprisoned, Bohemia Interactive shut down access to one of the threads on their official forums titled Greek Military which was created on 1 August 2012. Bohemia Interactive has since made several statements regarding the situation on their official forums, discussing legal matters and warning users regarding the problems arising from photographing Greek military installations. As a result of the incident, on 2 February 2013, Bohemia Interactive announced that the name of the main island 'Lemnos' would change to 'Altis'. The Greek island of Lemnos was chosen as inspiration after Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Španěl had visited the place on vacation. According to Bohemia Interactive, the name change is meant to emphasize the game is fiction. The game's smaller island named 'Stratis' remained unchanged.

Ban in Iran

In September 2012, Iran's National Foundation of Computer Games and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps refused to allow the sale of ARMA 3 because the game portrayed the CSAT faction (which was partially composed of Iranian soldiers in the main campaign) as an enemy of NATO.