Controversial UK Journalist Being Removed From Watch Dogs: Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion has officially released and it has already caused a stir due to two in-game podcasts featuring the controversial UK journalist, Helen Lewis. Helen Lewis has been criticized for her stance on the transgender community and that’s apparently the reason she has been removed from Watch Dogs: Legion, but Ubisoft didn’t specify the reason Lewis is being removed from the cross-generational game. Watch Dogs: Legion is available right now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Google Stadia, and PC.
“Neither Ubisoft nor the game reflect this journalist’s viewpoints,” said Ubisoft in an official statement. “The development team worked with an external producer to select speaker profiles for these podcasts and were not aware of the controversy at the time of booking or recording. While the in-game podcasters are following a pre-approved script and are not speaking in their own name or with their own opinions, we understand this collaboration itself may be seen as offensive and we deeply regret any hurt this has caused.”
“In response, we will be replacing these two podcast episodes in an upcoming update and will reinforce our background checks for partners in the future.” While it’s interesting that Ubisoft didn’t look into Helen Lewis’ background before her inclusion in Watch Dogs: Legion, it’s impressive that they’re acting so quickly.
Helen Lewis caused an uproar when she stated before the release of Watch Dogs: Legion that, “being a woman or a man is now entirely in your head. In this climate, who would challenge someone with a beard exposing their penis in a women’s changing room?” Lewis has clarified that trans women are women and trans men are men, but her stance stems from concerns about self-identity. Are you glad that Helen Lewis is being removed from Watch Dogs: Legion? Let us know in the comments!