Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games confirmed it would not “embed social or political agendas” in its games due to the “high risk it can present”.
According to Strefa Inwestorów (thanks, PC Gamer), global marketing director Ryan Hill told investors the studio would focus on “excellent user experience with compelling thematics and characters created specifically for core and adjacent audiences” following perceptions “a number of high profile releases underperform[ed] commercially during the last year” due to what he believed to be “social or political agendas.”
“We remain committed to producing player-first video games that prioritise an excellent user experience with compelling themes and characters created specifically for core and adjacent audiences,” Hill said when asked for the studio’s position on “DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion – more commonly known as EDI in the UK] in gaming”.
“While some video games have recently taken the opportunity to embed social or political agendas within their experiences, it is clear that many players do not appreciate this, and as a result, we have seen a number of high profile releases underperforming commercially during the last year alone.
“Our games will always be developed to maximise player enjoyment and commercial success, and as such, we will not be integrating any social or political agencies into these experiences going forward having observed the high risk this can present.”
Hill did not expand on his definition of “social or political agencies”, nor defined what “high risk” meant to him and studio leadership. He also didn’t exemplify what games he considered had “underperformed commercially” or, indeed, clarify what commercial success looked like to him.
CI Games declined to comment further on Hill’s statement to investors.
The action-RPG is currently sitting on a “mixed” Steam user score, and received just two stars in Eurogamer’s Lords of the Fallen review. A sequel is currently in development.
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