Bethesda deletes Indiana Jones clip after accusations that it mocks Charlie Kirk

Following the launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's new DLC, Order of Giants, Bethesda appears to have deleted an X post from September 14 featuring a clip of Indy petting a cat and saying "you don't care much about those fascists, do you?" Given the post's proximity to the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on September 10, some online took it to be a reference to the Turning Point USA founder, and a backlash has ensued.

The now-deleted clip, captioned "good kitty," was seemingly released as part of the DLC's post-launch social rollout. Crucially, Bethesda's official X account has been consistently uploading seven to 15-second posts and images of the action-adventure game's DLC since its release, so the clip is likely part of that wider push. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also takes place in 1937, when Hitler and Mussolini's fascist regimes were in power.

Screenshots from the video have been shared widely across multiple social media sites after its deletion, including X, Facebook, and TikTok. Some online have taken the post to be a reference to Kirk, given its proximity to his fatal shooting at Utah Valley University campus on September 10. However, given that it appears to have been part of a wider social push, it seems most likely that the timing was coincidental and that the post was unrelated to Kirk.

Political tensions on platforms like X and Bluesky have been fraught since the shooting of Kirk, a divisive and influential figure with a substantial online following, known best for his viral debate videos. Speculation around the killing and the alleged shooter's politics, and what might have led to the shooting, has spurred further divisions both in the US and more broadly. The suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, is expected to be charged this week.

PCGamesN has reached out to Bethesda for comment, and we will update this article if we get a response.