A cutscene from the game “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” is causing a stir at Ubisoft. The video uses the image of a raised fist as a symbol for the antagonists of the game. A connection that, especially due to the political situation in the USA, is causing controversy.
What kind of game is this? “Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad” is a mobile tactical role-playing game where players can recruit various characters from the Tom Clancy universe and deploy them as a special unit. This includes characters like Sam Fisher from “Splinter Cell” or El Sueño from “Ghost Recon: Wildlands.”
After it was shown at Ubisoft Forward in July, the game was released on August 27 for iOS and Android. However, it quickly faced criticism due to the game’s intro sequence.
Symbolism in the Intro Causes Trouble
What happens in the intro: The cutscene introduces you to a world that has become unstable due to “wars, corruption, and poverty.” You see protesting people. Afterward, the intro sequence presents the game’s antagonists: the organization “Umbra.”
According to the description, this is a faceless organization that aims to establish a new world order. Umbra propagates a utopia of equality while secretly orchestrating terrorist attacks to create chaos and weaken governments. They have also hacked social media. They are the enemies you are supposed to take down with the “Elite Squad.” You can watch the sequence here on YouTube:
This is the problem: Alongside the descriptions, the symbol of a dark, raised fist is repeatedly associated with Umbra.
This symbolism has sparked criticism (for example on Twitter), as this fist is currently associated with the “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations. The fact that this symbol is used in “Elite Squad” as the emblem of a terrorist, behind-the-scenes secret organization while you control an elite unit on behalf of the government has led to significant criticism for Ubisoft.
Here’s Ubisoft’s response: As the criticism did not take long to arrive, Ubisoft quickly responded as well. They published a statement on Twitter: The depiction of the raised fist was “insensitive and harmful,” and they want to apologize following community feedback. The symbolism will be removed with the next title update on Tuesday, September 1, and as soon as possible on iOS.
However, “Elite Squad” is not the first game from which symbols or gestures have been removed due to such concerns. Similar steps were taken in Call of Duty when the “OK hand gesture” was removed.
Ubisoft is currently likely particularly eager to maintain a good public image. After all, the developer was recently under strong criticism in the wake of a serious sexism scandal.
