The Smiths’ ‘Meat Is Murder’ Becomes Dark PETA Arcade Game

The Smiths have teamed with PETA to create This Beautiful Creature Must Die, a vintage arcade-style interpretation of the band’s classic 1985 song “Meat Is Murder.” In the dark game, players must save chickens, cows, pigs and turkeys from slaughter by tapping them before they hit the bottom of the screen – all while trying to escape falling bombs. The mobile-friendly game, which features an 8-bit rendering of “Meat Is Murder,” is available for free at the PETA website (and below). 

Smiths singer Morrissey, a longtime vegan and animal rights activist, urged fans to grasp the project’s underlying message. “This game is the biggest social crusade of all, as we safeguard the weak and helpless from violent human aggression,” he said in a statement. “You don’t get that from Pokémon Go.”

“PETA’s This Beautiful Creature Must Die has a fun, nostalgic vibe but also calls out animal agriculture as the biggest threat to human health, animals, and the environment today,” added PETA Vice President of Marketing Joel Bartlett. “After mastering the game, players can save animals and the Earth in real life by going vegan.”

PETA has previously created online parodies of Pokémon, Super Mario Bros., Cooking Mama and more, but the Smiths team-up is the organization’s first to be made available via iPhones and Androids.