Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games has taken a stance against “DEI” in a recent investor call, claiming it creates a “high risk” for commercial failure, and that audiences “do not appreciate” these elements. DEI, for those unfamiliar, stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – all concepts that promote fairness and equality.
Per CI Games, it’s simply too high risk for games to be inclusive, equitable, and feature diverse characters. Instead, the studio will focus on creating an, “excellent user experience with compelling thematics and characters created specifically for core and adjacent audiences.”
“While some video games have recently taken the opportunity to embed social or political agendas within their experiences, it is clear that many players do not appreciate this, and as a result, we have seen a number of high profile releases underperforming commercially during the last year alone,” global marketing director Ryan Hill said, via PC Gamer and Strefa Inwestorów.
“Our games will always be developed to maximise player enjoyment and commercial success, and as such, we will not be integrating any social or political agencies into these experiences going forward having observed the high risk this can present.”
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As noted by PC Gamer, Hill did not elaborate on the nature of DEI and why this makes games commercially non-viable, nor did he provide examples of games that failed due to their “social or political agendas.” Further, it appears Hill’s comments have falsely conflated the current state of the modern games industry with the appearance of diverse characters and equality.
The reality is many games haven’t achieved commercial success over the last few years, thanks to a range of factors that have nothing to do with “DEI.” Many AAA games have disappointed on sales expectations as players have cut back on luxury costs during a global cost of living crisis. That’s not to mention the high bar for a game’s “success” is now higher, as games are now more expensive to create – or that many recent AAA releases have simply missed the mark.
The reality is that “DEI” has become a scapegoat for games not performing as expected. A growing online community revels in the failure of games with diverse characters, blaming these elements for titles failing to find a wider audience. And much of this conversation is defined by a lack of understanding of DEI, and those so-called “social or political agendas.”
In claiming CI Games won’t have any social or political agendas in its games going forward, Hill has ironically confirmed the studio’s own social and political agenda. All games are inherently “political” – they reflect the beliefs, background, and context of their developers, regardless of intent.
It’s unclear what Hill’s comments mean in that regard, beyond a seeming pandering to the loud shouts of the “anti-DEI” crowd, and a desire to renew conversations around CI Games. It’s certainly renewed conversations, but likely not in the way Hill intended.
