Whenever you’re launching a AAA title, you need to make sure it has certain key ingredients. The graphics have to be well above average, the gameplay has to be engaging, you need a badass protagonist and a good story.
None of that, however, is as important as your marketing strategy – unless you’re on the front page of N4G every day, you’re not doing it right. What you need then, is a scandal. Every great game causes some form of uproar before or upon release, whether you’re including restrictive DRM, removing a key feature or allowing players to gun down hundreds of civilians in cold blood.
Up until now, the new entry in the Deus Ex franchise has been sorely lacking in scandal, no doubt to the disappointment of its publishers. Finally the inevitable has happened however, as Square Enix have now been accused of inserting outright racism into their game.
The issue has stemmed from an in-game NPC known as “Letitia the Trash Lady”, whom you find digging through the trash and have to question. She provides you with a lot of game story insight, but controversy has ensued over the way the character talks and acts, with most complainants alleging that she has been egregiously racially stereotyped in her role.
Square Enix has released a statement in response: “Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a fictional story which reflects the diversity of the world’s future population by featuring characters of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. While these characters are meant to portray people living in the year 2027, it has never been our intention to represent any particular ethnic group in a negative light.”
Check out the video below and tell us what you think. Do you think this is all a gross overreaction, or do you think this is in fact a stereotypical portrayal which many may find offensive? Personlly, I’ve been more offended by the Wayans Brothers.
