Total War: Warhammer 3 is working towards greater inclusivity compared to previous games, according to the Game Director and Principal Writer at Creative Assembly.
Reflecting on the early days of Warhammer, it was largely a male-dominated community, and the earlier games did not effectively represent women or other minority groups like the LGBTQ+ community. Some miniatures even depicted women in metal bikinis with very little armor.
Prior to the release of Total War: Warhammer 3, we had the opportunity to interview Game Director Ian Roxburgh and Principal Director Andy Hall. They shed light on the latest game and its departure from the more misogynistic themes of the past to better represent their gaming community.
During the interview, Hall revealed, “Well, Kislev is very much an equal opportunities employer. There are plenty of mixed-gender units in its roster, and also all-female units.”
“In Warhammer 3, we really wanted to make sure that there’s representation with more females. So we have Miao Ying, the Cathay Dragon. She’s the eldest daughter of the Celestial Dragon Emperor in Cathay. And she has one of the most prominent and heroic roles,” Hall added.
Hall also mentioned that Miao Ying is one of many new characters being introduced to enhance the game’s female representation.
“And then you have the Ice Queen of Kislev, who oversees the entire Kislev. And, of course, the demons themselves are genderless. So I would say, we’ve definitely moved on. Hopefully, people feel represented and want to play this game,” Hall further emphasized.
It’s essential for games, regardless of their genre, to make an effort to include minorities and represent them accurately. This not only encourages a broader range of people to play but also helps to counter the negative aspects of video game culture that perpetuate stereotypes and lead to people feeling isolated or unwelcome.
Like other games, the Warhammer series has faced issues with male fans gatekeeping the franchise. Depending on who you ask, these issues may still persist, but it’s commendable to see the Creative Assembly team working towards improving inclusivity.
Roxburgh also acknowledged the challenge of diversifying the games while staying true to the original source material.
“We’ve done what we can and we’ve worked over the years to diversify as much as we can. But yeah, we go as far as we can within the IP and the bounds of what’s possible,” noted Roxburgh.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is scheduled to be released on 17 February 2022. For more details, check out our hands-on review, and stay tuned to Trusted Reviews for future updates.
