Hutchinson points out there are ”plenty of franchises” out there that have made ”huge leaps within a consistent universe.” It isn’t fair to ”cap games with that definition” across the board.
”There’s often a misunderstanding that a sequel or a franchise is by definition not innovative or not fresh. That’s complete nonsense,” declared Alex Hutchinson.
”There are plenty of franchises in the gaming world that have made huge leaps within a consistent universe. To sort of cap games with that definition isn’t fair, I think. We’re trying to be as fresh and innovative as possible, across a bunch of areas,” he told Eurogamer in an interview.
”Whether that’s through things like having a minority figure as a lead character, breaking some barriers down there, or other things like narrative decisions we make, then we’re making good progress.”
Speaking of a minority lead character, Assassin’s Creed III stars a Native American as our assassin and Hutchinson reveals Ubisoft was concerned enough about being culturally sensitive that they hired a Native American consultant to make sure they didn’t cross a line. Apparently they already skirted a few issues.
”It’s sometimes really unclear to us when we think we’re being educated, well meaning people, and when that’s just not the case. It’s very hard to predict what’s going to be an issue and what isn’t,” he continued.
”For a while, we had tribal masks as an element in the game, and this actually became a very sensitive issue and was something the consultant didn’t want represented. We could have never predicted that it would be such a sensitive subject. Even things like the use of traditional music, to them that’s something incredibly important and they don’t want it used for just a pure entertainment value.”
Having such a culturally diverse group working on the game helps the team stay objective overall, he said. Most importantly the creative director feels there are no walls to breakdown between ‘blockbuster teams’ and indie outfits: ”I see ourselves as a group of indies trying to be progressive. I don’t see why there needs to be any divide.”
Check out the full interview between Alex Hutchinson and Eurogamer.
Assassin’s Creed III releases on Xbox 360 and PS3 October 31st, and on PC November 23rd.
