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Riders Republic and Skull & Bones in-game events will highlight climate issues

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Taking place in late 2022 or early next year, the Riders Republic event will tackle the issue of wildfires.

As first reported by Axios, the “short and intense” live event will require players to team up to stop sequoia trees from burning down.

Players won’t be given advance warning of the event. “Instead, they will be immersed immediately in the consequences of wildfires on the outskirts of the map when booting the game,” Ubisoft said.

The sky will be orange, there will be smoke and fog throughout the game, and certain parts of the map will be inaccessible.

Players will have to identify the most fragile and flammable areas of Sequoia National Park and engage in collaborative activities to protect it.

Skull & Bones, which is reportedly due for release in November, will include an in-game event designed to promote the issue of overfishing.

“Our first activation will address resource exploitation, showing what happens in the game world and the real world when the demand for sharks’ fins results in the overfishing of sharks,” Ubisoft said.

“Players will have the choice to contribute to marine wildlife protection and comprehend the destructive nature of the shark fin trade.”

It added: “As players contribute to community challenges, rewards will be unlocked for all players depending on the overall level of participation.”
 

ManaByte

Member
No Thank You Reaction GIF
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
Riders Republic ok I can see this since its modern day, it not too far a stretch...

Skull & Bones though.... I'm sorry but that's just... we had whaling in Black Flag because at that time period it was acceptable, people didn't know better...

Pirates did not give two fucks about fish stocks...
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
If it makes sense in the context, sure, I see no harm in bringing attention to a very real issue (climate change deniers, go back to school). But in S&B it seems like it would be a bit out of place. It takes place in the historical pirating era right? I don't think humanity had started affecting the climate at that point.
 

Topher

Gold Member
Its not propaganda, global warming is turning our climate to shit. However, this seems annoying for a videogame. Where i live gets battered with enough hurricanes as is

If they want to create a global warming simulator then they should do that. Have to wait and see how they do it, but on the surface shoehorning this into a pirate game does make it seem like a propagandistic preaching rather than a legit way of sending a message.
 

ahtlas7

Member
Its not propaganda, global warming is turning our climate to shit. However, this seems annoying for a videogame. Where i live gets battered with enough hurricanes as is
I wonder if gaming habit could be causing the global wabba-woo which spawns those hurricanes. Think of the climate cost in all the production of the toxic games, systems, pcs … the electricity to power all the players and servers, hell, even to download the 1 and 0 to your hard drive, let’s not even begin to consider the waste of a physical disc. All the people driving to a huge office full of heat generating computers for years to produce your ”game” …….. think about all the cost then give up gaming and go push a hoop with a stick. :messenger_beaming:
I don’t need giant corporates lecturing me. They should be the first to power off, especially Ubishit.
 

brian0057

Banned
I wonder if gaming habit could be causing the global wabba-woo which spawns those hurricanes. Think of the climate cost in all the production of the toxic games, systems, pcs … the electricity to power all the players and servers, hell, even to download the 1 and 0 to your hard drive, let’s not even begin to consider the waste of a physical disc. All the people driving to a huge office full of heat generating computers for years to produce your ”game” …….. think about all the cost then give up gaming and go push a hoop with a stick. :messenger_beaming:
I don’t need giant corporates lecturing me. They should be the first to power off, especially Ubishit.
Until nuclear becomes mainstream and reactors are in active construction all over the world, I will not take any climate alarmist fearmongering about anything seriously.

Coal and fossil fuels have killed more people, contaminated more of the enviroment, and produced more radiation than every nuclear power plant and every accident or disaster combined and many times over. But somehow nuclear is the worst. Hell, solar and wind have killed more people than nuclear power.
 
The forest fire one makes no fucking sense because those are caused more by piss poor and often actively harmful forest management (usually hindered by the very people who should be protecting them) and human fire usage stupidity. Blaming "climate change" is disingenuous and makes it ear they are pushing an agenda not actual education and solutions. I guarantee that one of their "collaborative activities" that everyone has to do will not be starting a forest fire, because surprise, that's one of the most effective ways to combat them!

The shark fin one could be cool if the game had well designed and modeled resource and economic systems, but considering they are focusing on shark fins in a vacuum, and that this is an Ubisoft designed game we are talking about, I'm guessing that is a big fat no.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I dont fucking care.
We are not changing that. I am already using paper straws.
They are preaching to the choir
 

Edgelord79

Gold Member
If they want to create a global warming simulator then they should do that. Have to wait and see how they do it, but on the surface shoehorning this into a pirate game does make it seem like a propagandistic preaching rather than a legit way of sending a message.
It may be preachy, annoying, and full of self-righteousness but it isn’t propagansist. That would imply it’s misleading.
 

daveonezero

Banned
It's propaganda in the way they are framing it. Same with our government in the US ; they used it as a tool to destroy American energy independence.
It’s always been a cash grab.

Trillions are being spent inefficiently on “green” and its making the lower class suffer.

It’s been proven Cheap energy is the best way to positively affect pollution and dishrag ability on the planet.

But the message is not about pollution.
 

AJUMP23

Member
Remember in the time of pirates when we almost fished whales to extinction. Then we started using crude oil.

riders republic. Let me burn rubber than burn down this Forrest.
 
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Will we also be able to harvest and sell shark fins? If not, why the fuck would my pirate care that there's less sharks around. That sounds like a benefit.
 
This is cool, but let's be real, mountain bikers would be banned from the forests during a fire.

I've had four of my mtb trails affected by wildfires in the last three years.

Global warming and intense droughts aren't fun.
 

OuterLimits

Member
Its not propaganda, global warming is turning our climate to shit. However, this seems annoying for a videogame. Where i live gets battered with enough hurricanes as is

Hurricanes would be awesome in the pirate game. Considering numerous ships were sunk and Caribbean settlements severely damaged or even obliterated by many strong hurricanes.(well before industrial revolution and climate change)
 
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Trogdor1123

Member
Bit ironic to have this in a video game that was created using gobs of power to played on systems that use globs of power, no?
 
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SZips

Member
Great idea, in theory. I don't expect Ubisoft to do anything more than some superficial throwaway about it in either of these games though.

Not to mention Ubisoft Quartz NFTs🙄
 
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Rykan

Member
It's funny how you somehow manage to completely miss the point. My point was never to point out that all games are political because they aren't. The point was to highlight the double standards regarding politics on video games that can be observed in gaming discourse and especially on GAF.
 
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