A video game that received a reported $1.4 million from the Norwegian government has immensely underperformed after gamers exposed the strange diversity-driven game mechanics.
Dustborn, created by Red Thread Games, was published by the company Spotlight by Quantic Dream. Quantic Dream is a French subsidiary of NetEase, a Chinese technology company out of Hangzhou, China.
Just two weeks into its release, Dustborn became a gigantic flop after gamers became aware of how much diversity, equity, and inclusion is jammed into the game.
The story involves a female character who essentially uses left-wing ideology to defeat enemies across the "Divided States of America."
'We have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any kind.'
An X post revealed at least four skills players can use in the game.
This included "cancel," which is described as the following: "We've learned how to CANCEL someone."
"CANCEL will allow us to isolate people from their friends and compatriots. In battle, this could be a useful tool against enemies."
"Normalize" is also an option that allows users to "normalize negative emotion."
Other skills include "bully" and "sow discord."
Gameplay footage uploaded online showed off hilarious scenes that allow the user to get offended.
In one scene, a police officer asks the main character about a "black kid" she knows and if he has any information. The player is immediately given the ability to use the "trigger" function, which results in her saying, "You are racist!" to the cop.
In another portion of the game, the player is given no choice but to be cruel to a robot who is trying to give the main character a ride.
A caption reads "that machine is not coming near us," as the character freaks out and says, "Don't touch me!"
It should also be noted that the robot also has preferred pronouns.
Unfortunately, these game mechanics weren't meant to be funny.
'We have a point of view with this game.'
Just days into its launch, Dustborn's engagement on gaming platform Steam has been abysmal. At the time of this publication, it had peaked at just 76 concurrent players.
If this were an independent game, it would be one thing, but Dustborn received a reported 14 million kroner ($1.4 Million USD) from the Norwegian government/taxpayer and another €150,000 ($166,000 USD) from the European Union.
According to game developer Mark Kern, the Norwegian Film Institute raised the money while the EU contributed through its Creative EU grant program.
Gaming outlets have averaged a score of 68% in their reviews for Dustborn, while 374 user reviews on Metacritic have averaged an outstanding 1.1/10.
The backlash caused Red Thread Games to state what it sees as disrespectful criticism.
"We expected Dustborn to spark conversation and debate, and looked forward to engaging with our players in a positive and constructive fashion," the developers wrote. "Unfortunately, that conversation has been drowned out by a tidal wave of hate and abuse."
"We embrace discussion and debate. But we have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any kind," the statement added.
The developers then called for a world where everyone can feel "valued and empowered to share their stories."
"The developers made it clear they were inspired to create the game based off the 2016 Presidential campaign," said John F. Trent, editor for culture site That Park Place. "They also attempted to normalize immoral and evil behavior through its game mechanics such as the ability to 'cancel' people."
"It's a great thing that the game failed spectacularly and many gamers did not purchase it nor play it," Trent added.
Brazilian website DEI Detected called the game an actual representation of DEI itself. The site pointed out the game's "forced diversity, virtue signaling" and a "(woke) political agenda."
The outlet described Dustborn as having a "soy-filled" combat mechanic in which gamers fight with the power of words, based on the premise that words can hurt.
Any discussion as to whether or not that game was politically motivated from a leftist stance can be put to rest simply by referring to Red Thread studio leader Ragnar Tørnquist. In 2020, Tørnquist told outlet VG247 the following:
"We have a point of view with this game," Tørnquist said. "We're not stepping back and saying 'you figure it out'. We're actually saying, 'No, fascism is bad' — but we are also going to let our characters argue about it."
The studio head added that the developers "believe in" a diverse cast and setting and that the clearest theme is unity in the face of oppression.
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