“Fallen” Game Publisher On Agendas & Sales

CI Games
CI Games, developer of the “Sniper Ghost Warrior” game series and publisher of the “Lords of the Fallen” titles, says it will not integrate “any social or political agendas” into its games – adding that doing so leads to a “high risk” of commercial failure.

The comments were made during an investor call according to outlet Strefa Inwestorow and picked up by PC Gamer. The company was asked about its “stance on DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] in gaming”.

Global marketing director Ryan Hill reportedly responded saying the priority is on “excellent user experience with compelling thematics and characters created specifically for core and adjacent audiences.” It’s then he reportedly added:

“While some videogames have recently taken the opportunity to embed social or political agendas within their experiences, it is clear that many players do not appreciate this, and as a result, we have seen a number of high profile releases underperforming commercially during the last year alone.

Our games will always be developed to maximise player enjoyment and commercial success, and as such, we will not be integrating any social or political agencies into these experiences going forward having observed the high risk this can present.”

Hill apparently did not offer examples of games with perceived “social or political agendas” or how developer CI Games defines DEI in this case, a contrast to “Cyberpunk 2077” developer CD Projekt Red who have a page defining the studio’s approach diversity and inclusion in detail.

CI Games’ latest “Lords of the Fallen” released late 2023 to mixed/average reviews (70/100 on Metacritic), but sold over one million units in the first ten days since release. A sequel is on the way in 2026.

Sources: PC Gamer, VGC