In the past, Ubisoft has been criticized for refusing to say its games make political statements, despite many of them featuring outwardly political elements, like much of the story behind The Division games, for example. The Far Cry franchise has fallen victim to this in the past, too, especially after Far Cry 5's depiction of a religious cult. Far Cry 6, which sees the player lead a group of guerrilla fighters against a dictator, has also been part of the discussion recently.
In a recent set of interviews, of Far Cry 6 Narrative Director Navid Khavari said that the developer's intent was not to make "a political statement about what’s happening in Cuba specifically" with its depiction of Yara and the ensuing rebellion. The fallout from those statements was swift, with swathes of the internet decrying the denial of the political, despite the current global political climate. Now, the developer has clarified those statements, along with offering insight on the original context.
In a post on the Ubisoft blog, Khavari states plainly, "Our story is political." The post goes on to clarify that Khavari's comments weren't intended to be applied to Far Cry 6, in general, rather that the game wouldn't be making a political statement regarding conditions in Cuba, specifically, which the fictional island of Yara is heavily inspired by.
Khavari's recent comments fall in line with what he told Game Rant in an interview a year ago, where he spoke about Far Cry 6's world and narrative. The development team spent time talking to real-world guerrilla fighters, establishing what it meant to them to try and fight for freedom – an element of the game that's inherently political, anyway that it's framed.
Further down the blog post, Khavari elaborates on how revolution has affected him personally. Khavari states that he is from a family that has "endured the consequences of revolution," and that he has debated the topic of revolution over the dinner table his entire life. Khavari reiterates that Far Cry 6 isn't a comment on Cuba's political situation, rather it's about why revolution is necessary at all. It's a tough topic to tackle, one that Khavari admits he's unsure if the team successfully addressed, but he also says the team "absolutely tried."
Fans will have to wait until Far Cry 6 releases to see if Ubisoft nailed the politics of a revolution. However, it appears, if anything, that Khavari's comments were largely taken out of context, and that the game will feature the political commentary that's necessary for a work like this to feel authentic.
Far Cry 6 releases on October 6, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.