When Far Cry 6 releases this fall, those who pick up and play it will have an interesting opportunity. Those users, especially those who feel as though they are part of the "Ubisoft community," will be able to send a message to the makers of the beloved franchise. That message doesn't need to be rolled into the kind of protest that includes not purchasing the game. This time around, buying Far Cry 6 and then making sure that players take on the role of a female Dani Rojas may be more effective than withholding money altogether.
When Far Cry 6 launches, it will do so with a feature that has been a regular in another of the company's franchises. The game will have the ability to allow players to choose for Dani Rojas to be either male or female, but there really should only be one choice. The female Dani looks to be the right one for more reasons than just because many ads have featured that version. This game comes from a company that has had some apparent problems, and those in the Ubisoft community shunning the idea that a character like Dani Rojas would ever be a man can send a very clear message to the developers. It would do that while making sure users are getting the full Far Cry 6 experience.
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From a marketing standpoint, it's probably not a mistake that many of the promotional materials for Far Cry 6 have shown a female protagonist. The company simply doesn't have a good history when it comes to dealing with women. Whether talking about women in the company and what they've accused higher-ups of doing, or female characters in its games, there has long been some oddities at play.
The Ubisoft gaming community, in general, noticed a while ago that franchises like Assassin's Creed didn't seem to offer many options for those who wanted to play a female lead. Then reports like one last year that showed internal discussions centered on whether or not female lead characters would hamper sales hit the web. Ubisoft would try and clean up after the backlash that ensued, and in many cases promise to do better. To the company's credit, there do appear to be efforts by the existing leadership to show they are doing better than what was done in the past. The question is whether or not what they're doing is enough.
While Ubisoft higher-ups are issuing statements aimed at both employees and members of the community, there are still some who are wary. While the company points to the fact it has ousted those who made decisions like limiting female roles in its games, it can be hard to trust the new direction is a permanent one. There is one way to make sure that this new direction for franchises like Far Cry is to reward the company when it takes the right steps. A business might want to demonstrate it can do the "right" thing, but the bottom line is what is going to dictate actions in the near future.
While the Far Cry 6 developers are not directly involved in the latest controversy that's embroiled the gaming world, what's going on with Activision Blizzard should concern everyone. The revelations that have come in the wake of a lawsuit filed by the State of California are appalling. The detailing of things like a "Cosby Suite" that male employees of Activision Blizzard took advantage of can't be ignored. That female employees have detailed alleged sexist and misogynistic behavior outside of the most heinous actions should also give the gaming community as a whole pause. That's where Far Cry 6 can come into play.
While Activision Blizzard is seeing a large backlash to its actions and seeming lack of reactions to accusations, Ubisoft is still trying to show people it understands why it had its own problems over the last few years. Including the ability to play as a female protagonist in Far Cry 6 is a decent step. Now the Ubisoft community needs to make sure to underline that the step was the right one. It's time to hammer home the idea that women lead characters are somehow less interesting and popular is archaic.
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Ubisoft has taken some big steps in the right direction when it came to its last big release. Assassin's Creed Valhalla followed in the footsteps of some of the more recent versions of the game, allowing users to play as a female version of Eivor. The female Eivor had a personality all her own that is interesting to see go through the many different situations game has to offer. Ubisoft should continue down that path with Far Cry 6 and Dani Rojas.
It appears Ubisoft is going to be making the protagonist in Far Cry 6 have more of a personality than players have seen from the franchise. This series has long made the villain the most interesting character in the game. This year, there's a chance that Dani can give the "bad guy" a run for his money. That's why there might be a choice, but there really isn't a choice when it comes to deciding whether Dani will be male or female. The Ubisoft gaming community choosing the female Dani overwhelmingly can send a loud message to the developers. It can also send a loud message to the gaming community at large as it continues to struggle with its handling of some very big issues.
Far Cry 6 launches October 7 for Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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