Far Cry 6 narrative director issues statement after politics backlash

Far Cry 6 narrative director Navid Khavari has issued a lengthy statement on the politics of the game, following a backlash to a quote of his last week.

In a post on the Ubisoft blog, Khavari sought to reassure fans that Far Cry 6 would include "hard, relevant discussions" about "the rise of fascism in a nation, the costs of imperialism, forced labour, the need for free-and-fair elections, LGBTQ+ rights, and more within the context of Yara", the game's fictional Caribbean island setting.

"Our story is political," Khavari commented. "A story about a modern revolution must be."

Khavari went on to note the team's work with "creators and collaborators for our team who can speak personally to the history and cultures of the regions we were inspired by", as well as "experts and consultants to examine the game story multiple times over the course of the project to make sure it was being told with sensitivity.

"It is not for me to decide if we succeeded, but I can say we absolutely tried."

Khavari's statement was prompted by the online backlash to a quote by him in an interview by TheGamer, where he stated Far Cry 6 was not designed to make a political statement about the country of Cuba specifically.

"We realised it's a complicated island and our game doesn't want to make a political statement about what's happening in Cuba specifically," Khavari said in the interview last week, stressing that Yara was based on "guerrilla movements around the world and throughout history", hence its fictional setting. Reactions to that quote were a mixture of dismay and delight at the game apparently not including political elements at all.

Here's Khavari addressing that in the new blog post:

"The conversations and research done on the perspectives of those who fought revolutions in the late 1950s, early 1960s, and beyond are absolutely reflected in our story and characters. But if anyone is seeking a simplified, binary political statement specifically on the current political climate in Cuba, they won't find it. I am from a family that has endured the consequences of revolution. I have debated revolution over the dinner table my entire life. I can only speak for myself, but it is a complex subject that should never be boiled down to one quote.

"What players will find is a story that's point-of-view attempts to capture the political complexity of a modern, present-day revolution within a fictional context. We have attempted to tell a story with action, adventure, and heart, but that also isn't afraid to ask hard questions. Far Cry is a brand that in its DNA seeks to have mature, complex themes balanced with levity and humour. One doesn't exist without the other, and we have attempted to achieve this balance with care. My only hope is that we are willing to let the story speak for itself first before forming hard opinions on its political reflections."

Far Cry 6 launches on 7th October.

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