The creators of The Division 2 have released a pseudo-state of emergency statement from Mexico via Twitter. A reference to current political events?
This is the reference to political events: The official Twitter account of The Division 2 released a “press release” yesterday declaring a state of emergency in Mexico. The country aims to respond to the critical situation in the USA.
The statement mentions that Mexico will immediately begin construction of a wall. The borders to the USA are closed. The aim is to minimize the risk of infected individuals fleeing to Mexico. Thus, the government attempts to protect the people in Mexico.
The Mexican government has deployed troops to the border to prevent the entry of U.S. citizens with a zero-tolerance mandate.
Mexican officials are in contact with Division agents who are relentlessly fighting for the interests of the citizens of the United States, Washington D.C., and democracy, but they have lost faith and trust in the U.S. government. Until that changes, the borders remain closed.
Why are the developers tweeting this? This is a marketing gag for The Division 2.
In the shared-world shooter, which releases on March 15, Division agents must restore law and order in Washington D.C. After a virus outbreak that originated in New York, the country descended into chaos. Politics collapsed, wicked factions seized power, and only the Division unit remains to protect the civilian population.
With the now released state of emergency declaration, the developers emphasize how dramatic the setting in The Division 2 will be. Mexico is isolating itself, the USA is falling apart. The Division agents are the last hope.
Why is this so controversial? Anyone who has been following U.S. politics in recent weeks and months will have noticed that a wall between Mexico and the USA is a big, very real topic. However, in real politics, it is not Mexico, but the USA, under President Trump, that wants to build a wall to stop migrants from the south.
Is this satire from The Division 2?
Is there more to it than PR? Some players view The Division 2’s reversal of roles between the two parties—allowing Mexico to build a wall to protect itself from refugees coming from the USA—as political satire.
There is discussion and a lack of consensus on reddit about whether this is amusing, too political, or simply a questionable PR stunt meant to provoke. An admin points out in the reddit forum that the post is alarmingly close to satire, but makes sense in the context of the game’s story.
Ubisoft’s stance on political themes in games: Ubisoft has previously stated that they do not want to address political themes in The Division 2. The story in the game is fictional. It is pure fiction. Additionally, politics is bad for business, so they will not adopt a political stance.
Accordingly, this marketing gag, which quite clearly resembles real-world events, comes as a surprise.
