Part 6/11:
The narrative of “women don’t sell” has persisted for years within the industry, despite evidence suggesting otherwise. Popular titles like Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us Part II demonstrate that games featuring strong female leads can and do succeed commercially.
Yet, the Bloomberg report and subsequent statements revealed that these stereotypes heavily influenced Ubisoft's creative choices. Many industry insiders, including developers at Ubisoft Montreal, fought to include more nuanced and prominent female characters, often facing pushback from higher-ups who believed such characters would underperform.