A video game that was reportedly funded by the Norwegian government with $1.4 million in funding has seen a massive sales slump after gamers exposed its bizarre diversity-focused game mechanics.
DustbornIt was created by Red Thread Games and published by Quantic Dream's Spotlight imprint. Quantic Dream is a French subsidiary NetEaseA Chinese technology company based in Hangzhou, China.
Just two weeks after its release, Dustborn flopped as gamers realized just how much diversity, equity, and inclusivity was packed into the game.
The story features a female character who essentially uses left-wing ideology to defeat enemies across the “Divided States of America.”
“We have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment and intimidation of any kind.”
Anne X Post At least four skills have been revealed that players will be able to use in the game.
This also includes “cancellation,” explaining: “We learned how to cancel someone.”
“CANCEL allows you to isolate people from their friends and compatriots. In combat, this could be a useful tool against the enemy.”
“Normalize” is also an option that allows users to “normalize negative feelings.”
Other skills include “Bully” and “Sow Discord.”
Gameplay footage uploaded online showed some hilarious scenes that made users uncomfortable.
In one scene, a police officer asks the protagonist if she has any information about a “black kid” she knows. The player is immediately given the ability to use a “trigger” function, which results in her saying:You are racist!“To the police.”
In another part of the game, the player has no choice but to commit cruel acts against the robots that are trying to take the protagonist on.
The caption reads, “The machine won't come near us,” and a character says in a panic: “Don't touch me!“
In addition, this robot has Favorite pronoun.
Unfortunately, the mechanics of these games aren't designed to be fun.
“We have our own take on the game.”
Just days after its release, Dustborn's entry into the gaming platform steam It was bad: at the time of writing, the number of concurrent players was peaking at just 76.
If this were a standalone game it would be a different story, but Dustborn reportedly received 14 million kroner ($1.4 million) from the Norwegian government/taxpayers and an additional 150,000 euros ($166,000) from the European Union.
According to the game developers Mark KahnThe Norwegian Film Institute raised the funds and the EU contributed through its Creative EU grants programme.
The average score of the game outlets is 68% Dustborn reviews 374 User reviews It has an excellent average rating of 1.1/10 on Metacritic.
In response to the backlash, Red Thread Games spoke out against what they consider to be disrespectful criticism.
“We hope Dustborn will spark conversation and debate, and we look forward to engaging with players in a positive and constructive way,” the developer said. Written“Unfortunately, that conversation has been drowned out by a wave of hatred and abuse.”
“We welcome discussion and debate, but we have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment and intimidation of any kind,” the statement added.
The developers wanted a world where everyone felt valued and empowered to share their story.
“The developers have made it clear that they wanted to base the game on the 2016 presidential campaign,” said John F. Trent, editor of culture site That Park Place. “They also sought to normalize immoral and evil behavior through game mechanics, such as the ability to 'cancel' people.”
“It's great that this game flopped so badly that a lot of gamers never bought it or played it,” Trent added.
Brazilian website DEI Detected The site called the game an actual representation of DEI itself, noting that the game has “forced diversity, virtue signaling” and a “(woke) political agenda.”
The media outlet explained that Dustborn is based on the premise that words can hurt people, and features “soy-heavy” combat mechanics that see gamers fight using the power of words.
The debate over whether the game was politically motivated and made from a left-leaning position can be ended with just a reference to Redthread studio lead Ragnar Tornquist. In 2020, Tornquist told the outlet: VG247 Next:
“The game has our point of view,” Tornquist said. “We're not stepping back and saying, 'Think for yourself.' We're actually saying, 'No, fascism is bad,' but we're also going to have our characters debate that.”
The studio head added that the developers “believe in” a diverse cast and setting, with the game's most obvious theme being unity in the face of oppression.
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