The recent ‘open beta weekend’ of Ghost Recon Wildlands drew much attention and participation from the gamer community. It was, after all, Ubisoft’s biggest open beta thus far. A total of 6.8 million players partook in its window of opportunity. More than any other beta in Ubisoft’s history.
And while many people were satisfied, more than satisfied, or exasperated by the thrill of riding around the beautiful Bolivian scenery and bringing down the evil tyranny of the Santa Blanca cartel; there was at least one major ‘player’ involved that was quite unsatisfied with the game…and that ‘player’ is, of course, the actual Bolivian government!
Communication Between French and Bolivian Officials
So, apparently, Reuters was able to obtain information from its sources Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Romero sent a letter to the ambassador of France formally requesting that the government of France intervene on its behalf and also asserting that they (the Bolivian government) had the right to take legal action.
Although, Interior Minister Romero did also emphasize that they would “…prefer to go the route of diplomatic negotiation.”
There has yet to be any word released from French government officials regarding the matter.
Ghost Recon’s Portrayal of Bolivia
At this point, it should be worth noting that the exact depiction of the country of Bolivia in Ghost Recon Wildlands does, indeed, contain a rather noticeable and significant amount of cartel ‘members’.
In the official backstory and lore of the universe of Ghost Recon Wildlands the government of Bolivia has unofficially settled onto an unspoken and unwritten arrangement with the fictional Santa Blanca cartel wherein both sides have largely agreed to leave each other along and turn a blind eye and deaf ear to any actions if both sides stay out of each other’s way.
This plotline obviously takes some liberties with reality and may possibly seem far-fetched depending the viewer, however, it should go without saying that this is, still indeed, a work of complete fiction and does not necessarily represent anything in real life nor the opinions, views, and/or beliefs of its creators or anyone involved.
Ubisoft’s Response
Ubisoft has responded with its own statement and has taken the stance that the game is “a work of fiction”, and that the reason why Bolivia was chosen was due to its “magnificent landscapes and rich culture.”
The game is set to be released on March 7th, 2017.