Ghost Recon Wildlands is set in Bolivia, where the cruel Santa Blanca drug cartel terrorizes the country, producing and selling large quantities of drugs. This portrayal as a corrupt and crime-controlled drug swamp does not sit well with the country’s government.
The developers at Ubisoft pride themselves on offering the entire South American state of Bolivia along with its stunning landscapes as an open world in the co-op shooter Ghost Recon Wildlands. However, anyone visiting Bolivia only through Ghost Recon might quickly get the idea that the whole country consists only of drug labs and coca plantations, and heavily armed mercenaries from drug cartels are lurking everywhere. In the embedded official trailer, you can see what we mean.
Ghost Recon Wildlands – Formal Complaint to the Ambassador
This negative portrayal of their country does not sit well with the Bolivian government. Bolivia is not as brutal a drug swamp as portrayed in the game. To ensure that the nation’s image is not ruined by a game, Carlos Romero, the Interior Minister of Bolivia, has formally lodged a complaint with the French ambassador, according to Reuters.
The French government is said to have intervened with publisher Ubisoft (also based in France). They have the option to take legal action against Ubisoft, but they prefer diplomacy as a first step.
Ubisoft: “We only cared about the beautiful landscapes!”
Ubisoft has also responded to the predicament. According to the publisher, Ghost Recon Wildlands is set in the fictional Tom Clancy universe. While it takes place in our world at our time, it is entirely fictional in its events.
The Bolivia in the game bears no resemblance to the real state and was chosen mainly for its beautiful landscapes, as players like to explore picturesque areas. The fact that Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca plants apparently played no role in the setting selection for GRW.
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