Political statements in a game are often a double-edged sword. Therefore, Ubisoft also stated some time ago that they want to avoid political statements with The Division 2.
What happened? The new invitation to the private beta of the online shooter Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, which was sent via email to some players, caused surprise. In this email, it was stated “Come and see in the Private Beta what a real government shutdown looks like.” This is a clear reference to the government shutdown that had the USA in its grip in recent days.
What is the problem? Alf Condelius, CEO of the developer studio Massive Entertainment, stated last year during the Sweden Game Conference that they do not want to make political statements with The Division 2. The game is pure fiction. Political statements in a game are bad for business. However, the email was a very clear political statement.
How did the fans react? Naturally, there were immediate discussions and criticism.
- On the one hand, players feel fooled because there indeed was this political statement.
- On the other hand, some players do not like it when developers make political statements in a game or when a title deals with current political situations. Such things have no place in a computer game.
Ubisoft apologizes
What does Ubisoft say about it? In the meantime, there is an apology from Ubisoft. The email should never have been sent out the way it was. It was a mistake. Ubisoft knows the impact of the US shutdown on many people and should not have taken this lightly.
