The Bolivian government has filed a formal complaint with the French Embassy concerning the representation of Bolivia in the soon-to-be-released Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.
If you’re out of the loop, Ghost Recon Wildlands is a third-person shooter set in a near-future where Bolivia is a drug state controlled by a ruthless Mexican cartel.
The game promises to be a mixture of interesting story telling and free-flowing, tactical combat, and to most of us, that’s all it will be. However, to Bolivia it’s now the cause of great controversy. Interior Minister, Carlos Romero, has officially asked the French government to intervene.
As of this current moment, the complaint is the only action Bolivia has taken; however, Mr Romero has stated that, “we have the standing to do it (take legal action), but at first we prefer to go the route of diplomatic negotiation.“
Ubisoft, in return have urged audiences to remember that Wildlands is a work of fiction, issuing a statement that says “While the game’s premise imagines a different reality than the one that exists in Bolivia today, we do hope that the in-game world comes close to representing the country’s beautiful topography.”
With the threat of legal action looming overhead, it’s difficult to predict what results this diplomatic incident may have.
Perhaps this may further delay a game with an already lengthy development process. Though with the release only a few days away, that seems doubtful.
