Ubisoft Cancels U.K. Release of We Dare

[Tulks]

Despite Ubi's insistence that the game was hot and naughty stuff, PEGI said it wasn't really all that daring at all, but that wasn't enough to satisfy vocal parents and politicians who worried that the game would encourage kids to engage in underage sex.

You know what encourages kids to engage in underage sex? Other. Fucking. Kids.

Maybe we should look into banning children. It's the only way to protect them.

Lol ain't it great how Europeans think Americans are all up tight about sex?
Then go about banning everything?

Don't blame the rest of the Europeans - this one's all about the UK. Compared to most Europeans, Americans (and, famously, the British) are uptight about sex.

 

[Deadyawn]

The worst part about this is not that the game concept is completely inane or that the add is even worse than the concept (if thats even possible) or even that people were upset that it got a 12+ rating. The worst thing about this is that Ubisoft didn't have enough of a spine to go through with it. They got scared off by a bunch ignorant, annoying whiners without so much as a formal complaint (as far as I know). I mean, they went through the entire, arduous process of creating a videogame and as soon as there was a little bit of controversy, which they must have known their add would stir up, they backed down because a ratings board thought the game was NOT innapropriate. It really shows how much faith some of these people have in the industry they work in. And even if it was just the realization that the game wouldn't sell it does raise the question of which idiot came up with idea in the first place. The entire scenario has been a complete shambles and hasn't done anyone any good whatsoever.

Holy Shit I wrote a lot of stuff just then. Just as a side note I dont really care that much about the whole thing, I think I was just bored and wanted something to kill a bit of time with. In fact I'm doing that right now by writing this unnecessary side note.

 

[TAGM]

If nothing else, it suggests a lack of validity on the part of PEGI, which made a decision and stood by it, and that makes the whole system look bad.

Because making an advert with a fucking parental code over two women striping naked is perfectly fine, but god forbid that PEGI base their rating over the fucking gameplay.

OT, I sort of saw this coming, but it's still a shame. Not because I won't get We Dare, but because it kind of just reinforces the notion that if people shout loud enough, even without any real threats, the game industry will just cave in and do what you want.

Thanks, Ubisoft. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Despite Ubi's insistence that the game was hot and naughty stuff, PEGI said it wasn't really all that daring at all, but that wasn't enough to satisfy vocal parents and politicians who worried that the game would encourage kids to engage in underage sex.

You know what encourages kids to engage in underage sex? Other. Fucking. Kids.

Maybe we should look into banning children. It's the only way to protect them.

Lol ain't it great how Europeans think Americans are all up tight about sex?
Then go about banning everything?

Don't blame the rest of the Europeans - this one's all about the UK. Compared to most Europeans, Americans (and, famously, the British) are uptight about sex.

Right on both counts.

OT: In a world where any child with enough curiosity can get to a site with naked women for free with almost nothing stopping him, why are we concerned about them buying a slightly possibly risque, possibly $50 game. If it's for the whole "sexy game" thing, there are cheaper (And likely more "provocitive") methods out on the market. If they get it, it'll be for shits and giggles, not because they are horny sex offenders in the making.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I wonder if this is get the same eyes for hypocriticism that MW2's pulling out the taliban multiplayer or whatever it was will get. Probably not, but still.

Looks
Hm? Oh, did you want me ot be surprised? Well, Guess I muster something
OH MY, NO WAY! WHODA THUNK IT!?!1

Figured they would. If Europe doesnt even get some games from the market, I didnt think this was gonna get through.

 

[FogHornG36]

OHHHH NO! now the uk are going to be left out on a mediocre game that will take up room on game store shelves before being added to the bin of crappy wii games siting outside of a CAR WASH.

 

[Haydyn]

This is the last straw. I have lost all hope of their ever being a god. Why must vidoe games be treated like TOYS FOR CHILDREN instead of a SOCIAL MEDIUM?! On second thought, there is no way humans are the most intellegent life from in existence. I am stuck in a limbo where humans are morons and nothing can save us.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Ubisoft should have seen the shit-storm this game would bring with it coming. I mean come on, regardless of what rating PEGI may have given it Ubisoft still went ahead with racy advert. Think about it, you don't put out an ad for a game so blatant in what it's about then slap the "for people 12 and older" label on at the end and not expect nickers to get twisted.

I say we just give this game the ET treatment; bury all the copies in the desert and hope people forget about it.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Lol ain't it great how Europeans think Americans are all up tight about sex?
Then go about banning everything?

Don't blame the rest of the Europeans - this one's all about the UK. Compared to most Europeans, Americans (and, famously, the British) are uptight about sex.

Agreed, us British are supposed to be the ones who get all up tight about sex. I've never had that opinion of Americans.

But in saying that, even as a gamer, without seeing any of these articles on The Escapist, I would never have known the game existed nor that there was a backlash!

I don't live in the country so I don't know how strong the backlash actually is but it seems to me that a few Sun subscribers and Keith Vaz aren't worth getting terribly worked up over.

That's just the point... it's the Sun readers that are likely the sort of people who would actually play this game anyway. Go figure.

 

[Dogstile]

Those few sun readers must be proud. The bitching they did has achieved something! To bad it was for retarded reasons.

I hate people

 

[Maze1125]

Lol ain't it great how Europeans think Americans are all up tight about sex?
Then go about banning everything?

So a few parents and a politician get outraged by a game, while the game itself got rated a 12+, basically saying that it was a far from banned as it could be without it being rated U. On top of which, even if it had been rated 18+ it would have still be sold in shops throughout the country.

While in America any game with even the slightest amount explicit sexual content gets rated AO and won't be sold by anyone but porn shops.

And from that you conclude that the UK is the prudish one that bans everything?

 

[mjc0961]

Two, Ubisoft's decision to drop the game in the U.K. is extremely unfortunate; I don't live in the country so I don't know how strong the backlash actually is but it seems to me that a few Sun subscribers and Keith Vaz aren't worth getting terribly worked up over. If nothing else, it suggests a lack of validity on the part of PEGI, which made a decision and stood by it, and that makes the whole system look bad.

Why does it make PEGI look bad? They rated the game based on its content, and refused to alter the rating just because people were whining over a really bad ad for the game on YouTube. I say good for PEGI, not changing the ratings on games just because a vocal minority disagrees even though they've never actually played the game.

As for Ubisoft... I don't know why you guys even bothered making this game in the first place. I thought you were going to only make AAA titles after all your other piles of shovelware for the Wii and DS bombed and you released a stupid statement to the press. But no, more shovelware? Really? Just please don't whine to the media again when you still aren't making money off it.

Don't blame the rest of the Europeans - this one's all about the UK. Compared to most Europeans, Americans (and, famously, the British) are uptight about sex.

Oh, don't worry. I'm keeping this article in the back of my mind, and the next time people from the UK start making "AMERICANS ARE TOO UPTIGHT ABOUT SEX WHAT IS WRONG WITH THOSE PEOPLE" posts, I will whip this out and say "Hey, we aren't the only ones banning stuff; why'd you guys cry until We Dare got canned? Oh, YOU personally didn't do that? Well, sweeping generalizations of an entire group of people based on what piece of land they live on can be a *****."

While in America any game with even the slightest amount explicit sexual content gets rated AO and won't be sold by anyone but porn shops.

Okay, I don't know what America you're talking about, but here in the United States of America, that doesn't actually happen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_products
If what you claimed was true, that list would be sooooooooo huge. But it's not, because you're making shit up.

 

[Saelune]

Ubisoft dropped the ball here. They were the ones who wanted people to think the game was sexy. So they cannot be mad that it worked.

 

[Calcium]

I doubt anyone's actually going to be disapointed not to play it here. The palm mark has only just disappeared from my face since I saw the commercial.

 

[binvjoh]

Who ever saw this coming?

 

[Catchy Slogan]

Wait, there was a backlash at all? I live in England and haven't heard anything about it in most news channels, mostly its been about the economy cuts and the Libyan civil war over here

The Sun barely counts as a news paper, its really the English equivalent of Fox News... but meh, I don't think anyone will really miss the game

I'm fairly sure that The Sun is technically a 'tabloid magazine'. It just likes to dress up in in adults clothing and pretend to be real news.
[sub]I hate The Sun.[/sub]

And I for one am glad that the news stations haven't been paying much attention to it. it's hardly worthy of news when there are people dying in Libya.

 

[Sampler]

I think the biggest irony here is it's moral outrage coming from "The Sun Newspaper[footnote]term used loosely[/footnote]" - this being a publication wildly renowned in the UK for tits and ass, sort of one step up from the "Daily Sport Newspaper[footnote]term used very loosely[/footnote]".

In fact, as a youth, it was my first port of call to see the salacious mammary glands of the opposite gender - so technically they were selling porn to under age children (if I thought of it I'll bet my last penny other kids did).

So a newspaper[footnote]you get the point..[/footnote] that sells porn to kids gets it's knickers in a knot about a game that's a little ecchi?

 

[ZombieGenesis]

That's Games marketing for you.