“Our story is political,” begins a new blog post from Far Cry 6 Narrative Director Navid Khavari. Putting players in the shoes of a revolutionary in a country heavily inspired by Cuba and other countries that have experienced political revolutions, Ubisoft is finally allowing its developers to talk about the politics that influenced the creation of the latest game in the Far Cry series.
“There are hard, relevant discussions in Far Cry 6 about the conditions that lead to the rise of fascism in a nation, the costs of imperialism, forced labor, the need for free-and-fair elections, LGBTQ+ rights, and more within the context of Yara, a fictional island in the Caribbean,” Khavari said. He wants prospective players to know that the team was empowered by these elements to tell a strong story.
Following the Far Cry 6 gameplay reveal last week, conversation immediately turned to the typical and expected Ubisoft line of denying the politics present in its games, which are often set against heavily political backdrops. An interview with Ubisoft themselves last week indicated that Ubisoft didn’t want to make a political statement despite Far Cry 6’s obviously political inspirations. It’s a recurring line we’ve heard again and again, which makes this latest statement about Far Cry 6’s politics quite a turn of events.
Importantly, Khavari reiterates that Far Cry 6 is not making “a simplified, binary political statement specifically on the current political climate in Cuba.” While they sought to respect the history and cultures of regions they were inspired by, Khavari says that revolution is “is a complex subject that should never be boiled down to one quote.”
“What players will find is a story that’s point-of-view attempts to capture the political complexity of a modern, present-day revolution within a fictional context,” Khavari says. “We have attempted to tell a story with action, adventure, and heart, but that also isn’t afraid to ask hard questions.”
Khavari’s statement isn’t drastically changing Ubisoft’s usual way of handling politics in games, but it does seek to reframe the messaging. Instead of completely denying the political nature, Khavari instead speaks to the vast political landscape present in Far Cry 6, embracing those politics while similarly avoiding making any definitive political statements.
“My only hope is that we are willing to let the story speak for itself first before forming hard opinions on its political reflections.”
Far Cry 6 releases October 7, 2021.
[Source: Ubisoft]
