Ubisoft issued an apology for using the raised fist symbol in Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad, and promised that the imagery will be removed from the mobile game in a future update.
The raised fist symbol, which has been closely associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, may be seen in Elite Squad‘s opening video.
The use of the symbol received criticism as it was linked to UMBRA, the game’s villains, who are supposedly taking advantage of civil unrest for their agenda. The game apparently leans into theories that protests are actually backed by secret groups, instead of being actual movements against social issues.
Ubisoft has apologized, and said that the raised fist symbol will soon be removed from Elite Squad.
An update regarding Tom Clancy's Elite Squad: pic.twitter.com/G6Hb1SO7Gx
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) August 29, 2020
The criticism against Elite Squad, however, does not end there. The game’s premise that governments view protests as threats that need to be eliminated by special forces is viewed as untimely.
Digital Trends has reached out to Ubisoft for comments on the wider criticism against Elite Squad, and we will update this article as soon as we hear back.
Ubisoft’s troubles
Ubisoft has been dealing with sexual harassment and abuse allegations within the company, which has resulted in the departure of several high-profile executives. The most recent exit was Ashraf Ismail, the former creative director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, who was implicated in extramarital affairs.
The developers of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla wanted to feature a female protagonist, but the company’s executives insisted on a male version “because a woman alone wouldn’t have sold.”
