DEI has become the topic of an ongoing social media debate regarding character designs for a fresh release of Silent Hill 2 and the upcoming release Unknown 9: Awakening. The gamers blame Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion representation in games for the compromise in character appeal.
Recently, the character design of Angela Orosco and Maria in Silent Hill 2 has made fans unhappy. On social media, a fan thinks that Angela’s character looks “ugly and fat” letting down its appeal. There is the other side which argues that she is supposed to look younger and damaged as she should have looked as the victim of abuse.
However, another character look portraying Maria , in the same game was also criticized. According to fans, her outfit has been toned down compared to the provocative look in the original game. As the key characteristic of Maria was her over-sexuality in the game, many believe that the latest character’s look has undermined the character’s purpose.
There is speculation that DEI consultants have been influencing these decisions on developers to sanitize characters for “woke” audiences.
Unknown 9: Awakening’s Haroona also received DEI backlash
The upcoming release Unknown 9: Awakening was also criticized under the same debate. The protagonist of this game, Haroona played by Witcher’s Yennefer has come under scrutiny. There are several posts on X that show the disappointed players over the developer’s character design choices.
The game is also being considered a “Concord flop” since there is very little fan engagement and a lack of preorders. A tweet by @Cyael blames DEI initiatives for the poor design choices. He compares them to “AI-generated errors”.
Another user claims that the character fails to reflect the beautiful actress, Anya Chalotra. The user also shared fans’ expectations of the character using AI.
A Haroona recreation by user @rayh8021. Source: X
Gamers have been arguing that the DEI mindset is pushing developers to prioritize forced representation rather than traditional aesthetics and character depth. They certainly blame DEI for the “less revealing” characters of Silent Hill 2 or the “manly” appearance of Haroona in Unknown 9.
Gamers believe this is just a trend to cater to modern “woke” audiences at the expense of authenticity. Others feel alienated by this representation that they consider a let down from the iconic games made earlier.
However, many gamers also voiced their support for DEI and redefining beauty standards.
