If you've played Ubisoft's latest title, Far Cry 6, you might have received an email from the game's formidable villain expressing his disappointment that you're no longer playing the game.
In a bizarre attempt to get lapsed players to revisit the island of Yara, dictator Anton Castillo – who is played by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito – is challenging players to sink more time into the game.
The tactic used is rather fitting for an evil mastermind, as the emails are a thinly-veiled attempt to make players feel inadequate for not spending more time playing Far Cry 6.
The hand-crafted emails from Castillo contain a player's statistics – such as hours played and enemies killed, which suggests that Anton has far too much time on his hands.
But even if you've sunk tens of hours into the game, players are still being contacted by the crafty Castillo, with the main takeaway from the email being: "Surely you can do better than this".
A lot of games are already ruthlessly designed to maximize engagement, but now they email and hassle you if you dare to stop playing them. pic.twitter.com/TRIsV4jnZPOctober 26, 2021
That's right. In 2021, we're now being shamed by fictional video game characters. We didn't mind when Mr. Resetti would scold us for not saving in Animal Crossing: Wild World – it was warranted. But these emails are a ridiculous ploy by Ubisoft at best and a predatory practice at worst.
Opinion: No, I don't want to be guilt-tripped into gaming
I've spent more than a few hours running around the island of Yara, blowing up outposts, parachuting off cliff faces, and riding horses. But the last thing I need in today's world is to be emailed by a video game publisher, goading me to return to a game that I stopped playing.
While Ubisoft might think that contacting players as Castillo is probably harmless and a clever marketing ploy that breaks the fourth wall somewhat, no one wants unwanted emails clogging up their inbox or made to feel bad in any way.
And ultimately, these Far Cry 6 emails aim to accomplish one thing and one thing only: persuade players who gave up on the game to return. Hopefully, Ubisoft will encourage more players to revisit Far Cry 6, make a few in-game purchases, and remain entrenched in Ubisoft's world. Urgh.
Surely you can do better than this, Ubisoft?
Far Cry 6 is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia. Oh, and you can play it for as little or as long as you want to, no pressure from us.
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