[UPDATED: We now have Ubisoft's official statement:"Ubisoft is a leading publisher that strives to create the best entertainment experiences possible. Ubisoft worked with the U.S. Army to create America’s Army games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 in order to deliver a compelling experience for our customers. As we discussed with the Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) organization, our games are created to meet a diverse range of interests and not to express or endorse any political view. We respect DASW's First Amendment rights, and would hope they also respect and recognize ours."]

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Ryan Lockwood, a 24-year-old ex-U.S. Army soldier and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, joined dozens of protesters outside game publisher Ubisoft's San Francisco office today to protest the publisher's involvement in the "America's Army" series.

The protest would be answered by the head of Ubisoft itself who met with some protesters in the company's offices to offer a defense of their involvement with the controversial series.

Outside, Lockwood summarized his complaints with the game:

"It's definitely a recruitment tool and the fact that it's put out by the federal government and being funded from our tax dollars, that sounds illegal to me," said Lockwood. " I'm not exactly sure what the laws are, but if it is being funded by our tax dollars, we have the right to say 'hey, stop taking our money and using it for stupid sh**.'"

The protest is part of a long-running controversy about a popular series that the Army describes as "the most authentic military experience available, from exploring the development of Soldiers in individual and collective training to their deployment in simulated missions in the War on Terror." Read more...