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How Call of Duty: WW2 handles swastikas and female soldiers

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-06-19-lets-talk-call-of-duty-ww2-swastikas-and-female-soldiers

By setting the next Call of Duty in World War 2, Activision charged the developers at Sledgehammer Games with coming up with a philosophy for dealing with Nazi iconography and the possibility of playing as non-German male soldiers when the game puts players on the Axis side in multiplayer.

Sledgehammer's approach was to treat the campaign very different than the multiplayer side of the game.

In an E3 interview with Eurogamer, Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey told me swastikas will appear in Call of Duty: WW2's campaign, but won't be present in multiplayer.

And, he added, non-white male soldiers will be playable on the Axis side of multiplayer - despite this not being authentic to the time period.

More at the link. Personally I'm not a fan of getting rid of the swastika in MP, but for some reason the hammer and sickel is allowed
 

RRockman

Banned
What self respecting black man would fight for the Axis willingly?

I mean it's fine to have, but it just feels weird.
 

SargerusBR

I love Pokken!
What self respecting black man would fight for the Axis willingly?

spirit_screen.jpg
 
This MP is probably going to have weapon skins and all kinds of nonsense so I'm glad they're including diverse options and not just hiding behind a #historicallyaccuratebutonlywhenitsuitsus excuse.
 

theyoungwolf

Neo Member
[/QUOTE]More at the link. Personally I'm not a fan of getting rid of the swastika in MP, but for some reason the hammer and sickel is allowed[/QUOTE]

Crack open a history book or the old google dot com if you want to learn about "the hammer and sickel" spelled sickle btw

A good idea would be to see who defeated the nazis lol
 
I think this is the smartest thing they could do. Campaign focused on more historical accuracy, multiplayer about embracing the diverse audience playing the game with customizable soldiers and not forcing one team to be literal nazis.

"In campaign, we need to balance the authenticity with the respect for the fact 100 million people died in the darkest days of humanity. So, you will see the swastika in the campaign, using our military historian to make sure it's authentic, tasteful and respectful.

"But in our global community of multiplayer and zombies players, we've chosen deliberately not to include that. We want the community to play together. We want to be respectful of local customs and laws around the world. And frankly it's a dark symbol with a lot of emotion behind it we don't feel matches our multiplayer experience."
 
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-06-19-lets-talk-call-of-duty-ww2-swastikas-and-female-soldiers



More at the link. Personally I'm not a fan of getting rid of the swastika in MP, but for some reason the hammer and sickel is allowed
The hammer and sickle isn't exclusive to the Soviets. The swastika, especially in that orientation on a white circle with a red banner is only associated with Nazis.



Explaining the decision, Condrey said Call of Duty: WW2's campaign is about telling an authentic World War 2 story, whereas multiplayer is about putting the player's avatar, whatever it may be, inside a World War 2-themed shooter.
Exactly as it should be, take note DICE.
 

killroy87

Member
I'm still baffled that people are genuinely upset there are female soldiers in multiplayer. Seems like the biggest waste of something to hate.
 

Cake Boss

Banned
Seems fine to me. Those people who just happen to love "the accuracy of history" can get all their swtazikas and male on male combat in the campaign, and for people that don't want it can play the MP.
 
What? Thats half assed. If youre going to make a WWII game especially years after the last one in the series use the full iconography in all parts of the game. No ifs and or buts, if prior titles in the series were unrelenting theres absolutely no reason we should censor certain parts of the game especially the one that is played by the most players. Show the atrocities of the Nazis and every damn perversion that came with it, including hiw they bastardized the swastikas and made it a symbol for their hatred.

Wolfenstein is comedic take on the results of the war and they are holding absolutely nothing back in the iconography part.
 

MMarston

Was getting caught part of your plan?
Seems fine to me. Those people who just happen to love "the accuracy of history" can get all their swtazikas and male on male combat in the campaign, and for people that don't want it can play the MP.

Isn't that right, Black Hitler?


On topic, at the end of the day, you just have to shrug and keep in mind that this is just another mainstream video game . There's no use to hate on such a trivial thing or for that matter, any other similar occasion in life in general.
 

Cake Boss

Banned
What? Thats half assed. If youre going to make a WWII game especially years after the last one in the series use the full iconography in all parts of the game. No ifs and or buts, if prior titles in the series were unrelenting theres absolutely no reason we should censor certain parts of the game especially the one that is played by the most players. Show the atrocities of the Nazis and every damn perversion that came with it, including hiw they bastardized the swastikas and made it a symbol for their hatred.

Wolfenstein is comedic take on the results of the war and they are holding absolutely nothing back in the iconography part.

All of that is still in the Campaign calm down.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
It's probably because they know racist/fascists/bigots/assholes/the scum of the gaming world will probably be trying to ride that Nazi train in MP as hard as possible including lawding the iconography if it was present. I'm fine with it in a more historically accurate single player (which probably won't be that accurate knowing these games and their focus) and a more inclusive MP that doesn't have imagery that many would most likely abuse and use to their own fucked up ends.
 

Darkangel

Member
I say just have a "historically accurate" toggle in the settings menu or something. Would also be a nice way to get rid of the inevitable weed leaf MP40s.

That is odd.
Russian Communists killed just as many if not more people than the Nazis did.

A lot of Eastern European countries have banned Communist symbols alongside National Socialist ones.
 
All of that is still in the Campaign calm down.

Thats not good enough theres no reason to remove that from the MP, which is where a majority of the cod audience spends their time and plays. Show all parts of the war in all parts of the game, especially given its a M rated game on top of that.
 

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
Thats not good enough theres no reason to remove that from the MP, which is where a majority of the cod audience spends their time and plays. Show all parts of the war in all parts of the game, especially given its a M rated game on top of that.

The multiplayer isn't about that.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Thats not good enough theres no reason to remove that from the MP, which is where a majority of the cod audience spends their time and plays. Show all parts of the war in all parts of the game, especially given its a M rated game on top of that.

I'd have to guess the state of the world and how things like Nazism and fascism are being pushed by some rather deplorable parts of society. The developers most likely don't want to give these sorts an easy outlet for their ugly thoughts and beliefs and one that ties so strongly into their bull shittery.
 

Orayn

Member
Thats not good enough theres no reason to remove that from the MP, which is where a majority of the cod audience spends their time and plays. Show all parts of the war in all parts of the game, especially given its a M rated game on top of that.

CoD MP will forever be the thing where you have a weed name plate and gold plated guns.
 
10 years ago it would have been fine. But now there are people who actually believe in that shit, and not in a history nerd way. So I think it's the right decision to not further enable these people. And the people who think it's okay for the "lulz" of running around with a swastika in a MP game.
 

dugdug

Banned
I'm cool with it. You don't need Nazi symbols in the multiplayer part.

You are not allowed to complain about "realism" in a game that features zombies, regenerating health, 360 no-scops, etc...

It's really just not that important.
 
And both responsible for the deaths of millions of people :/


So is religion, love, fights for freedom, culture clashes and many more. But while each of the reasons have two sides, nazism doesn't. It is singular in its hate and rhetoric. Pretending like it the two concepts are even is disingenuous. But the truth is that the nazi symbol is banned almost everywhere while the hammer and sickle are banned only in countries that ceased to be socialist. It still is accepted in many places.
 
It's probably because they know racist/fascists/bigots/assholes/the scum of the gaming world will probably be trying to ride that Nazi train in MP as hard as possible including lawding the iconography if it was present. I'm fine with it in a more historically accurate single player (which probably won't be that accurate knowing these games and their focus) and a more inclusive MP that doesn't have imagery that many would most likely abuse and use to their own fucked up ends.
Hopefully they'll be really strick with banning people who make swastika custom emblems.
 
What? Thats half assed. If youre going to make a WWII game especially years after the last one in the series use the full iconography in all parts of the game. No ifs and or buts, if prior titles in the series were unrelenting theres absolutely no reason we should censor certain parts of the game especially the one that is played by the most players. Show the atrocities of the Nazis and every damn perversion that came with it, including hiw they bastardized the swastikas and made it a symbol for their hatred.

Wolfenstein is comedic take on the results of the war and they are holding absolutely nothing back in the iconography part.

I agree. History happened, why censor it in the MP - which will be the most popular game mode? They keep talking about how the game is "historically accurate" and they want to be "faithful and respectful" to the men that fought and died in this conflict; but yet they're going to censor the multiplayer maps that take place in actual battlegrounds, such as the Ardennes and Pointe Du Hoc. It's baffling...

All of that is still in the Campaign calm down.

Yeah, but none of it is in the multiplayer -
which is pretty sad and pathetic to be honest.
 

Chozo_Lord

Member
For a big massive game series like Call of Duty, I don't understand why they can't just add a realism toggle to the multiplayer. Like if you have it off, you see the character everyone chooses (including black female nazis), you see the crazy skins on the guns and uniforms, you don't see swastikas. If you turn it on, you only see a german male as a nazi, all the guns and uniforms look realistic, swastikas where appropriate. All of these visual changes would only be client-side, so only the player would see these changes. Sure it would cost more for the developers to make multiple assets, but for a huge series like COD that makes a buttload of money it shouldn't be a big deal. It would appeal to everyone at the same time with little controversy from either side.
 
The multiplayer isn't about that.

The game is fighting is about in WWII, where you play as both the allies and nazi soliders. The entire game is about that, removing the iconography from one part of the game especially when prior titles showed all parts in their MP theres absolutely no reason this installment should censor a whole mode.

I mean hell nazi zombies from W@w had swastikas, should they have removed from that mode? No you're shooting undead nazis and they should be branded as such.

Needless to say im not gonna agree with thus decision no matter how someone spins it.
 
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