Ubisoft released a new blog post today on the subject of political content in its games. A representative of Ubisoft once said its games are not political, a statement which has become a popular topic of debate. Many have criticized that statement, claiming it is untrue due to the subject matter of games like The Division 2. In response, Ubisoft has released an interview with Tommy Francois, Vice President of Editorial, in which he provided further clarification.
Francois said Ubisoft believes games should allow the player to form their own opinions on a particular subject, explaining that video games should provide as many perspectives as possible in order for people to do so. He used a hypothetical game set during the Vietnam War as an example, stating if the game were to take place in that time period, Ubisoft would want all sides of the conflict to be represented in order for the player to come to their own conclusion on the situation.
Francois stated:
“We believe that games should offer a 360-degree view of life, should let people interact with all points of view. If my game was set during the Vietnam conflict, for example, we would want the Viet Minh, the Viet Cong … basically everyone’s point of view. And that relates back to people making up their own opinions and our ability to create more mature games that are nuanced, versus being black or white.”
Francois also said Ubisoft wants players to learn something from the games they play. He said Ubisoft doesn’t want its games to avoid politics altogether, but does want to include “multiple political themes so players can experience multiple points of view, learn from them, educate, and share.”
What do you think of Ubisoft’s reasoning? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
[Source: Ubisoft]
