We loved what we saw from the SWAT Ready or Not style shooter when we first looked at it in 2019. It is located in a crumbling and corrupt U.S. of the near future, and features games inspired by the original Rainbow Six and SWAT series that challenge players to “neutralize hostile and confrontational situations.” Access on December 17 this year.
However, just a few days later, developer Void Interactive announced that it had parted ways with Team17, the publisher. “Void Interactive and Team17 have mutually agreed that Team17 will no longer publish Ready or Not,” the studio tweeted. “We are confident this is the right path to the future of Ready or Not, and we thank Team17 for their partnership and wish them much success with their gaming arc!”
VOID Interactive and Team17 have mutually agreed that Team17 will no longer publish Ready or Not. We are confident that this is the right path to the future of Ready or Not, and we thank Team17 for their partnership and wish them much success with their arc of games!December 20, 2021
The reason for the split was not given, but it only happened a few days after a Ready or Not subreddit user asked if the game should have “Shooting mission at school“In response, developer Void Interactive replied,” It’s better to believe this will happen. “The comment has since been deleted, but can be seen through Wayback machine.
The prevailing assumption is that Team17 did not think a school shooting level was an appropriate idea, and Void Interactive did not want to give it up. However, a representative of Void Interactive denied any connection between the split with Team17 and the planned shooting level at the school.
Void Interactive addressed the issue in a post it shared on Twitter:
There is no easy way to deal with this issue without creating strong emotional responses from one group or another, but we will do our best. I would like to start by mentioning a quote from our original company documentation that we have always believed in, continue to believe in, and that everyone who has done business with our company has learned.
“Void Interactive has a clear commitment to providing quality and influential content that other mainstream software developers may shy away from due to cultural conventions and norms. At Void Interactive we value the voice of our customers and partners and although it will not dictate our direction, we will allow it to intelligently influence “What we do is fundamentally, the game respects the work of dedicated law enforcement officers around the world and in no way intends to glorify cowardly criminal acts.”
We are committed to promoting a level of authenticity and realism in our video game, ready or not, which carries with it a difficult subject. We understand that this requires some responsibility – for our fans and our community, yes. But even for those affected by the traumatic events to which law enforcement responds too often. Rest assured, our goal is to address all of Ready or Not’s content with the level of weight and respect it justifies. Recently we have had to remind some team members of the treatment required in discussing this material now and on an ongoing basis.
“School” is not only part of the story of Ready or Not, it is part of the fabric of thousands of stories of people around the world. It’s the story of those who died too soon at the hands of a mad gunman, the story of family and friends waiting for a phone call that may never come, the story of the first responders who do everything they can just for it not to suffice. It’s a look at an uncomfortable reality that has become too common, and we hope we can do a small part in paying homage to those affected by these tragedies in the real world, with a description that does not move their experiences.
We will continue to follow our vision, we will continue to listen, and we will continue to work every day on Ready or Not. Thanks.
To be clear, the level of shooting at the school does not really exist at this stage – everything is completely hypothetical at this stage. And if it ever comes, presumably players will intervene in the shooting, not carry it out. As we have seen in the past six days in Fallujah, designing a game around a sensitive real-life scenario is perhaps the most obvious way for a developer to communicate his worldview, which will be tested and criticized. And in general, video game reenactments of real-life tragedies are going to elicit a strong response. School photography is a regular theme for movies and TV shows, but an interactive medium is a whole other matter.
Followed tweet, Void Interactive reassured fans that she remains committed to her vision of “Ready or Not as a Hardcore Tactical Shooter”. So far, players seem to like it: Ready or Not now enjoys a “sweepingly positive” rating in steam Across more than 8,300 user reviews.
I contacted Team17 for a comment and will update if I get an answer.