Dead Island developer Techland has apologised for a line of code that referred to a skill called "Feminist Whore".

The controversially named ability - "FeministWhorePurna" - was found within the Data0.pak\Data\default_player_setup.scr file by Steam forum goers.

Feminist Whore is thought to have become Gender Wars, a skill that allows Purna - in the final game - an extra 15 per cent damage against men.

"It obviously violates professional and ethical standards at Techland and should never have happened," Blazej Krakowiak, international brand manager, told Eurogamer. "We're investigating this right now and we'll issue a statement later.

"For now, I can only express my sincerest apologies for this incident and assure you that whoever acted so irresponsibly did not represent the views and opinions of Techland.

"I'm equally sure that aside from the author of that unfortunate line of code, everyone at the office is as disturbed by this as you are."

The other skills mentioned in the Dead Island .scr file also had their names changed for the final game.

An incorrect version of Dead Island made its way on to Steam this week. That has now been replaced and Deep Silver has promised a hefty patch for Europe's Friday launch.

However, some saved games created while playing the incorrect version of Dead Island may be in danger, due to the incompatibility between the two builds. The danger, in this case, being a wiped Dead Island saved game.

Eurogamer's Dead Island review dug up a 6/10.