"Bad faith" discourse "not worth engaging with", Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws creative director says

Last week, Ubisoft raised eyebrows when it issued a vaguely-worded apology for “some elements” in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ promotional materials that had “caused concern” among some fans.

Fans widely attributed the statement as referring to the ongoing backlash towards the game’s inclusion of historical figure Yasuke as a Black samurai and its dual protagonist. Moderators of the main Assassin’s Creed reddit this week described the topic as a “tedious discussion” that Ubisoft’s statement had only “exacerbated”.

In contrast, Ubisoft creative director Julian Gerighty has now acknowledged online criticism of Star Wars Outlaws – specifically, the aesthetic appearance of main character Kay Vess – by stating that “bad-faith” debates are “not worth engaging with”.

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“Kay is meant to be approachable, a petty thief who ends up barreling through this story, making bad decisions and centered with a lot of humour, humility and toughness. That’s what’s important to me. And she’s beautiful, come on,” Gerighty told The Washington Post, referring to a narrative being pushed by some on YouTube and social media that video game women were no longer ‘attractive enough’.