Ubisoft Claims that having female assasins is too costly

[wingdgundam]

During E3, AC Unity creative director Alex Amancio was asked about the lack of a Female avatar for the new multiplayer mode of Assassin’s Creed.  Amancio stated that there had been plans to include female avatar's for gamers to choose from.  However "the reality of production", as stated by Amancio, was that creating a female avatar would create more work for the development team.  The female avatar would require the team to create a female model with appropriate animations and voice work.  While I can understand that creating a new character would be difficult, I don't believe that the inclusion of a female assassin would impact or delay development of the game.  For me, the development team's real reason for not having variety in the multiplayer avatar's is budgetary and greed (on the side of Ubisoft).  It is less costly to just reuse the animations and character model of the main protagonist.  With a simple change of outfit (color swap), the development team can create "choices" for the player to choose from.  Amancio states as much when he said "Because of that, the common denominator was Arno...so the only logical option, the only option we had, was to cut the female avatar."
For me this sounds like Ubisoft is trying to keep their production costs down in order to maximize their profits. Others believe that the reasoning behind the lack of a female avatar to be nonsense.  On twitter you can find the hashtag #womenaretoohardtoanimate, where thousands have taken to express their frustrations. 

 

How do you all feel? Do you think Ubisoft has a legitimate reason for not including a female avatar.  Or do you feel like me and think Ubisoft just does not want to pay more production costs, release the game to endless hype, and make all of use triple their investment?

 

Links to the original stories

http://www.polygon.com/e3-2014/2014/6/10/5798592/assassins-creed-unity-female-assassins

http://kotaku.com/ubisoft-cut-plans-for-female-assassins-in-unity-1589278349

 

 

[Createinator]

Or they could just port Kasumi from Dead or Alive... we would love that, wouldn't we?

[dizmo]

Expense is a pretty weak excuse. Of course it's going to cost more. They just alienated a good number of people who would have wanted to play as a female. I'm sure it wouldn't have been THAT hard to accomplish.

Ubisoft worries me. I really don't want them to fuck up The Division.

[daemonowner]

Ubisoft: The French EA.

[ericlee30]

I call BS, damn sexist Ubisoft, if you are going to make a lame excuse, then you might as well just come out with the truth.

[xjohnny3589]

do what ever you want ubisoft, just don't fuck up the division.

[Paralectic]

Meanwhile, in Africa, real issues take place.

 

The only thing you'll end up with is either;

A: include women in games and get attacked by feminists because apparently female characters are only used for emotional attachment for male players and "sex appeal", no matter how normal the character is, or

B: don't include female characters and get shit for doing so. ("Women are also capable of fighting in wars, be badass, this and that, etc.")

 

It's basically a loss-loss situation. The only winner here are the critics. Developers can only win by ignoring these meddling little fuckwads ruining the industry with their social justice crusade.

Bioshock Infinite..  * cough cough *

[Noctus]

Meanwhile, in Africa, real issues take place.

 

The only thing you'll end up with is either;

A: include women in games and get attacked by feminists because apparently female characters are only used for emotional attachment for male players and "sex appeal", no matter how normal the character is, or

B: don't include female characters and get shit for doing so. ("Women are also capable of fighting in wars, be badass, this and that, etc.")

 

It's basically a loss-loss situation. The only winner here are the critics. Developers can only win by ignoring these meddling little fuckwads ruining the industry with their social justice crusade.

Ladies and gentlemen i give you:

 

I call BS, damn sexist Ubisoft, if you are going to make a lame excuse, then you might as well just come out with the truth.

...Exhibit A

[TheEwokGuy]

Im not sexist or anything but who the hell cares about this ITS A GAME ;__;

[NICKT]

Meanwhile, in Africa, real issues take place.

 

The only thing you'll end up with is either;

A: include women in games and get attacked by feminists because apparently female characters are only used for emotional attachment for male players and "sex appeal", no matter how normal the character is, or

B: don't include female characters and get shit for doing so. ("Women are also capable of fighting in wars, be badass, this and that, etc.")

 

It's basically a loss-loss situation. The only winner here are the critics. Developers can only win by ignoring these meddling little fuckwads ruining the industry with their social justice crusade.

 

Firstly, just because there are more pressing matters doesn't invalidate the importance of other issues. So take your "real issues" and your "starving children in africa" elsewhere because I get so sick and tired of people throwing that sentiment around as if it actually is meant to have any merit or meaning to it beyond "you're not allowed to have any feelings because someone has it worse than you".

 

Also, the point of A is typically aimed towards the inclusion of female characters who are simply there for that exact purpose, the pleasure of men. I, personally, don't get it at all, we barely get female characters like Lara Croft in the most recent Tomb Raider, who just simply was a female, nothing more to it, whereas if you go to games like Soul Calibur, you can see characters like Ivy and Taki, two characters clearly there to draw male gaze. I decided to google "female assassin" and much to my chagrin, it appears most of the images are either showing off one of three female target areas, be they either scantily dressed or adorned in tight clothing, but then, I happen to come across this:

Apparently, she's from a nice little title called Assassin's Creed. Well, what do you know, eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed_III:_Liberation

 

A reviewer on Gamespot had this to say in regards to her character:

Shaun McInnis, reviewer for GameSpot, gave the game a score of 6.5/10, praising the protagonist as "...a woman born from the romance between a wealthy father and a slave mother, someone who has overcome her uncertain upbringing to find a new life in the Assassin Brotherhood".

So, you cannot say that Ubisoft aren't at least capable of delivering a female character that wasn't clearly just marketed as eye-candy for men.

 

At the end of the day, this boils down to financial bullshit, which is what the entire gaming industry wraps it's wet cock around these days, it's all just money, money, money..

[NICKT]

Im not sexist or anything but who the hell cares about this ITS A GAME ;__;

 

The fact that they can just upright refuse to include a gender in their title as a playable avatar is absolutely fucking disgusting.

And hey, look, there's another one of those stupid phrases, "it's a game" "it's just a game". "It's just sex", "it's only a foreign country of people who can't support a decent standard of living without international support, why can't we bomb them".

 

If you ever use the argument, "it's a game" or "it's just a game" in any facet, then you should just fuck off, just because it's a form of entertainment doesn't mean it can't be taken seriously, doesn't mean it should be excluded from being discussed.

You're not sexist, but you're an idiot.

[TheEwokGuy]

The fact that they can just upright refuse to include a gender in their title as a playable avatar is absolutely fucking disgusting.

And hey, look, there's another one of those stupid phrases, "it's a game" "it's just a game". "It's just sex", "it's only a foreign country of people who can't support a decent standard of living without international support, why can't we bomb them".

If you ever use the argument, "it's a game" or "it's just a game" in any facet, then you should just fuck off, just because it's a form of entertainment doesn't mean it can't be taken seriously, doesn't mean it should be excluded from being discussed.

You're not sexist, but you're an idiot.

Well i went a bit retard there. But I THINK it's not a such huge deal. Sorry c:

And yeah they only do that to pleasure men

[NICKT]

Well i went a bit retard there. But I THINK it's not a such huge deal. Sorry c:

 

Look at it this way, does the fact that there are 6 billion people invalidate your life in any fashion? When it comes to the world, you're more or less not that much of a huge deal, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow and 99% of the world would not give a fuck, but you would, right?

When you bring war, politics, jobs to the table, yeah, maybe a game doesn't seem so important in the comparison, but as it's own does that invalidate it's worth, it's merit? The same with movies, books, music, video games last I heard was a very big player if not the biggest in the entertainment industry and you're saying that it's issues aren't really a big deal, which is unfair and a poor way of thinking.

[TheEwokGuy]

Look at it this way, does the fact that there are 6 billion people invalidate your life in any fashion? When it comes to the world, you're more or less not that much of a huge deal, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow and 99% of the world would not give a fuck, but you would, right?

When you bring war, politics, jobs to the table, yeah, maybe a game doesn't seem so important in the comparison, but as it's own does that invalidate it's worth, it's merit? The same with movies, books, music, video games last I heard was a very big player if not the biggest in the entertainment industry and you're saying that it's issues aren't really a big deal, which is unfair and a poor way of thinking.

I'm really bad at thinking stuff serious :c.

[wingdgundam]

NICKT im glad you brought up AC Liberation. The main character was female. However the sales and reviews were not stellar. I think Ubisoft saw how little sales that game had and figured it was because of the female lead.

[Almercenary]

Ubisoft is full of shit. Liberation much?

[Guest Kloaked]

Inb4 feminism.

Nevermind too late.

[StingBull]

In other words they are saying female assassin's are high maintenance broads  

[Hazy125]

Jiggle physics are expensive...

[PhantomChevron]

Wait what? Doesn't AC4 have female characters in it?

[jmaster299]

Meanwhile, in Africa, real issues take place.

 

The only thing you'll end up with is either;

A: include women in games and get attacked by feminists because apparently female characters are only used for emotional attachment for male players and "sex appeal", no matter how normal the character is, or

B: don't include female characters and get shit for doing so. ("Women are also capable of fighting in wars, be badass, this and that, etc.")

 

It's basically a loss-loss situation. The only winner here are the critics. Developers can only win by ignoring these meddling little fuckwads ruining the industry with their social justice crusade.

I agree, but you forgot one other claim people make. "Include female characters as an option, and men who choose to play as female characters are in reality acting out homosexual fantasies." A claim that has been made against games like WoW. It truly is a no win situations.

[Noctus]

The fact that they can just upright refuse to include a gender in their title as a playable avatar is absolutely fucking disgusting.

And hey, look, there's another one of those stupid phrases, "it's a game" "it's just a game". "It's just sex", "it's only a foreign country of people who can't support a decent standard of living without international support, why can't we bomb them".

Tbh apart from that very paper thin excuse, if they don't want female Sin's, you don't get female sins. They can design their game however the hell they want. And yes it IS only a game with an extremely imaginable story. There is nothing that's state's in the laws of the universe *must include female*.

[coen113]

Firstly, just because there are more pressing matters doesn't invalidate the importance of other issues. So take your "real issues" and your "starving children in africa" elsewhere because I get so sick and tired of people throwing that sentiment around as if it actually is meant to have any merit or meaning to it beyond "you're not allowed to have any feelings because someone has it worse than you".

 

 

 

i agree, its basically the same as telling "you cant feel good because other people have it better than you"

[Sharkyx1]

Goddamnit you idiots, its not sexism for one to not include female playable characters in a game that one creates, its their creation start to finish, and i wish they gave a better excuse, like "it doesn't fit the narrative" but life goes on, you shouldn't try to water down every game to include parts to keep every single person's feelings from getting hurt, on the otherside people are calling the sexism card on Rainbow Six Seige for including female hostages.

[jmaster299]

Goddamnit you idiots, its not sexism for one to not include female playable characters in a game that one creates, its their creation start to finish, and i wish they gave a better excuse, like "it doesn't fit the narrative" but life goes on, you shouldn't try to water down every game to include parts to keep every single person's feelings from getting hurt, on the otherside people are calling the sexism card on Rainbow Six Seige for including female hostages.

But that's what our world, the US in particular, is becoming.

"Black people commit more crimes, and therefore are more likely to have a criminal history, therefore it's racist for any employer to conduct a criminal background check of job applicants."

"Minorities are more likely to be poor, therefore it's racist to ask them to spend $20 once every few years to get an ID.

"Women intentionally, overall, choose to work fewer hours than men and choose to pursue lower paying jobs, therefore it's sexist that men make more money on average than women. Even though all the accurate and unbiased studies show that in the same positions, with the same level of education and experience, and the same number of hours worked, they pay gap disappears, it's still sexist."

"Fewer women choose to pursue education and careers in the IT world, therefore it's sexist that the IT world is predominately male."

"You make a 100% legal, and constitutionally protected, donation to a political group in support of a legal ballot measure, you're a bigot because other people have a different opinion." (FireFox)

"You never once discriminate against a gay employee or customer, yet when a reporter asks you a pointed question about your religious beliefs, you are a bigot because of those religious beliefs." (Chick-fil-A)

"Any school that has fewer minority students than white students, and any employer who has fewer minority employees than white employees is automatically racist and should be banned from ever hiring or admitting a single white person unless there are more minorities than white people enrolled or employed."

"The President is breaking the law and violating his oath to the Constitution, but because he is black it automatically means you are racist if you don't agree with everything he says and does."

There is no shortage of this sort of nonsense, and it's only getting worse. If anyone has a problem with there not being a playable female character in the new AC game, or any game, don't buy it. But don't go shitting on the developers and everyone else just because they aren't as equally offended as you are.