One of the more interesting aspects of Ubisoft’s modern obsession with creating open world games is the ability that the company’s development studios have shown to recreate virtual versions of real-life cities and locations. For a decade now, the Assassin’s Creed games have brought nations from previous time periods, and the more recent Watch Dogs games have brought us to fictional versions of Chicago and San Francisco (and possibly London in the future). However, their most recent use of a real world location has caused some offense to that real nation, as the Ghost Recon: Wildlands Bolivia portrayal has cause the real life nation to file a complaint with Ubisoft’s native country of France.

A new Reuters report has brought this formal complaint to the public’s attention. According to the report, Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Romero has delivered a letter to the French ambassador in Bolivia, asking the French government to intervene. The Bolivian government believes that the game’s drug cartel-run version of the nation is misrepresentative of the real life Bolivia and will damage the country’s public image. Romero also states that Bolivia has “the standing to [take legal action], but at first we prefer to go the route of diplomatic negotiation.” In response to this letter, Ubisoft has provided an official statement in which they defend the Wildlands Bolivia portrayal, saying:

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is a work of fiction, similar to movies or TV shows. Like all Tom Clancy’s games from Ubisoft, the game takes place in a modern universe inspired by reality, but the characters, locations and stories are all fantasies created solely for entertainment purposes,” it said. “Bolivia was chosen as the background of this game based on its magnificent landscapes and rich culture. 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, and that players enjoy exploring the diverse and open landscapes it moved us to create.”

It seems that Ubisoft has a thoughtful defense for the use of the Bolivian setting in the game. A lot of real life settings that Ubisoft’s games have used recently seem to have given gamers the understanding that their portrayals are meant to be exaggerated to make sense with the gameplay elements and to provide commentary on where our modern society could be headed. What do you guys think about the Ghost Recon: Wildlands Bolivia portrayal? Do you think it is disrespectful to the country? Is Bolivia in the right to complain? Let us know what you think in the comments below, or start a discussion on our Disqus page!

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