Polish Response to Assassin's Creed Divides the Industry [Update: Info From Devs]
Ecumene Aztec, an open-world action RPG, has sparked fury among far-right groups. Extremists are trying to sabotage the project by harassing the developers and impersonating them.
The devs have informed on Steam that they have entered a partnership with a major publisher. We do not know its name, but the developers of Ecumene Aztec do not hide their excitement about this fact. At the same time, we learned that the team working on the game will grow considerably (resulting in, among other things, improvements to graphics, gameplay and the game world). We will also see a new trailer soon.
In Ecumene Aztec we will play the role of a native. It will be up to us to decide which group he will join in the course of the game (the invaders or the Aztec priest caste) and who will be his main enemy. We will get three character classes to choose from: jaguar warrior (based on strength), eagle warrior (dexterity) and snake warrior (stealth).
The plot will not be based on facts, although the developers intend to set it in specific historical realities.
Original post (June 06):
A few days ago, IGN posted an article about the upcoming work of an independent Warsaw-based studio called Giantscraft (currently renamed Ecumene Games). Ecumene Aztec - because that's the title of the game - is an action RPG with survival elements and an open world.
The game will enable players to take on the role of an Aztec warrior during the Spanish invasion of Central America in the 16th century.. Thanks to the gameplay, which is very reminiscent of the original Assassin's Creed games, the title seems to be an interesting proposition for those who enjoy this type of stealthy gameplay. Unfortunately, what for some may have turned out to be a must-play item, for others became a thorn in the side.
Developers targeted by fanatics
As reported by The Verge, shortly after the game's announcement, the game's developers became the victim of harassment by far-right extremists - all indicating that they were accusing the developers of historical hypocrisy. In addition to death threats, fanatics also began to impersonate developers from Giantscraft / Ecumene Games.
As a result, they reserved the domain giantscraft.com, which is full of references promoting Spanish imperialism. Every visitor to the website is greeted by a quote attributed to Hernán Cortés - one of the conquistadors responsible for the destruction of Tenochtitlan - and a Burgundian cross, associated with Spanish royalists, far-right South American extremists, and Nazis. In addition, the website includes a link to a profile on Instagram (also of an imperialist nature).
It is worth mentioning that Giantscraft has recently been renamed Ecumene Games. The developers do not yet have their own website, but only an official channel on YouTube.
Interesting but controversial
Ecumene Aztec has made waves not only because of the aforementioned attacks by fanatics, but also because of the game's very subject matter. Although quite a number of people praise the developers for an interesting idea, one can also come across criticism of the developers' overly stereotypical approach to Aztec civilization and the lack of an opportunity to play as the conquistadors..
Giantscraft (or rather Ecumene Games) took to heart the comments of the community and has already announced that it will make the expected changes to make the game more in line with history, and that the main character will have the opportunity to cooperate with some European invaders.
And although not much is known about Ecumene Aztec at this point, we know that the game will offer three character classes: Jaguar Warrior, Eagle Warrior, Snake Warrior, through which we will be able to customize the gameplay to our own preferences..
Is a worthy competitor to Assassin's Creed emerging before our eyes? We will have to wait a little longer for an answer, because the current plan for the game's release is 2025.
