Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands takes the elite special operations unit to a near-future Bolivia, which, in the game, has become overrun with vicious, ruthless drug cartels that have effectively replaced the government. The Bolivian government is evidently not happy about this, and has filed a formal complaint with the French embassy, requesting that action be taken by the French government.
In a statement to reporters on Wednesday, Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Romero said that the Bolivia government has “standing” to [take legal action] against Ubisoft for the country’s portrayal in Ghost Recon Wildlands, but it first wanted to take a “diplomatic” approach.
This apparently meant asking France to intervene on its behalf — France has dealt with its own free speech issues recently, including a controversy with satire magazine Charlie Hebdo that preceded a horrific terrorist attack in 2015.
“While the game’s premise imagines a different reality than the one that exists in Bolivia today, we do hope that the in-game world comes close to representing the country’s beautiful topography,” Ubisoft said in a statement to Reuters.
The Ghost Recon series has taken place in a number of countries since its inception in 2001, including Russia, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Other Tom Clancy games, such as Splinter Cell Blacklist, have missions taking place in Cuba, Iraq, and even the United States.
Though Ubisoft’s depiction of Bolivia is a work of fiction, the developers spent two weeks exploring the South American nation in preparation for Ghost Recon Wildlands, interviewing locals, taking pictures and video, and even going to a coca farm.
Ghost Recon Wildlands is out on March 7 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The game’s fully open world allows for exploration and improvisation during missions, and it offers some truly stunning Bolivian vistas.
