Source: Multiple Assassin’s Creed games ditched or downgraded female leads
Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft has been embroiled in a widespread — and growing — scandal surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct and a sexist work culture that has already struck multiple executives. Now a report reveals some of the inevitable impact culture has had on the company’s games themselves.
A new Bloomberg report reveals that Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Origins and Odyssey all began with larger roles given to female protagonists – protagonists whose roles were either reduced or eliminated altogether as the games developed. Worst of all, sources blame Serge Hascoët, the chief creative officer who was removed from his role after widespread allegations, for some of the changes.
Bloomberg cites three sources who claim that 2015’s Syndicate, set in London, initially devoted equal screen time to its sibling protagonists, Jacob and Evie, before minimizing Evie’s role to make Jacob the center of attention.
2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins apparently wanted to kill or injure protagonist Bayek early on before giving the player control of his wife, Aya, for the rest of the game – another move Ubisoft balked at.
Even next year’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which was praised for its female lead Kassandra, wasn’t safe. Four sources told Bloomberg that Kassandra was initially the game’s only playable character, a move they were told was “not an option.” The game eventually shipped with the choice between Kassandra and her brother Alexios.
The upcoming Valhalla doesn’t seem immune either. While there are both male and female protagonists, the male version of Lead Eivor has dominated marketing materials thus far, reinforcing the perception that the female version is strictly secondary.
“All directives came from Ubisoft’s marketing department or from Hascoët, both of whom suggested that female protagonists would not sell,” reports Bloomberg. It’s a damning indictment, and one that feels particularly ironic, comes just weeks after the female-led Last of Us Part II broke sales records to become the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive of all time.
Hascoët has been an integral part of Ubisoft since 1988 and reportedly had almost complete creative control over the company’s games. Multiple sources claim he’s been holding meetings at strip clubs, making sexually explicit comments, and even giving coworkers cakes laced with marijuana without telling them.
Hascoët resigned from his position earlier this month following the allegations leveled against him, along with head of the company’s Canadian studios, Yannis Mallat, and global head of human resources, Cécile Cornet.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail – who also helmed Origins – is currently on leave from the company. He was part of the first wave of allegations against Ubisoft in June involving several women in the games industry blame him abusing his power and position to conduct extramarital affairs.
from toplistreviewspro.com https://ift.tt/vexs2V9
via Toplistreviewspro.com
Post a Comment