"This video game is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or any real persons, living is purely coincidental. No organization or government agency has approved endorsed or authorized the use of their names or logos or product".
For some time now, Ubisoft has opened many of its titles with a disclaimer similar to the one above, often placed front and center each time the game in question loads. While a company wanting to "cover its back" is understandable, it gets harder to swallow said message with each release. Ubisoft is heavily invested in narratives concerning political upheaval, corrupt governments, class rebellion, and the breakdown of society. But the publisher's persistence in distancing itself from the topics it capitalizes on is getting long in the tooth.
Ubisoft's fiction is frequently embedded in recognizable real-world drama. The publisher openly linked Watch Dogs: Legion with Brexit before reiterating that Ubisoft games are "not political". The Division 2 featured war in the streets of Washington. 2018's Far Cry 5 was about doomsday preppers following a false idol, while the upcoming Far Cry 6 concerns a fascist dictatorship on an island off the shores of the United States.
There's nothing wrong with tackling socio-political subjects in any medium - creators can and should when the opportunity arises - but at least own your stake. Telling the audience that your wares "aren't political" doesn't wash when you set your latest adventure in "post-Brexit" Britain, open the story with terrorist attacks, feature dialogue referencing "fake news" and "social media conspiracies", and then add British xenophobia, a work-shy Prime Minister, and a crumbling NHS to the mix.
When companies take this tack, it comes off as having your cake and eating it too, allowing the product's marketing to bask in the headline-grabbing buzz of real-world concerns while not having to actually enter legitimate discourse with those for whom these themes may be disturbingly relevant. Make your point, but also own it. To do otherwise is arguably exploitation.
