Resident Evil 5 producer: Black people worked on this game

[Zeus]

Jun Takeuchi, the producer of Resident Evil 5 has responded to a question by stating that there are black members of the development team. As you may be aware, much negative criticism was heaped on the developers based on some shots which were alleged to be 'racist' by some journalists.



Multiplayer: I know you talked about this at [Capcom's Las Vegas promotional event] Captivate, but I have to ask you: the way people talked about the game and some of the reactions of: “Oh, is this a racist game?”… A lot of that has died off. But we on the MTV gaming blog actually published one of these interviews that got a lot of the reaction. We interviewed a gaming journalist who talked about his feelings when he saw the trailer. And he talked about: “I don’t feel like anybody black worked on this game.” That was his gut reaction. And I’m curious if you had anticipated that kind of response, if you had foreseen that people were going to react that way — and how that reaction affected you?


Takeuchi: No, we certainly didn’t anticipate the reaction. We were quite surprised by the reaction that came out. I think everyone understands that we never set out to with the intention to make anything that was racist — that was never our intention. We think it was a bit of a misunderstanding when we published the first images of the game back in the day. And we think that as we move along and allow people to see more the game and more of what’s going on and more of the story, people will get a better idea of the game. I think you can see that that reaction has started to die down a little bit. To answer the question that was posted on your blog, there are black members in the development team. We do have staff working on the game, who are aware of the historical background and we are constantly checking these kinds of things with them.


News Source: <A href="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/07/21/resident-evil-5-producer-comments/" target="_blank">MTV</a>

[crypysmoker]

And instead of just saying "what th ehell is wrong with you people, who cares if the zombies are black grey orange... they are zombies"..
No, instead they resort to the ever popular between confused white people "I cant be rasict, I have black friends"

[L84skewl]

who would ever think there are Africans in Africa.

[agantai]

if black people worked on a game it still does not mean its not a racist game :confused:,thats just stupid.personally i would not have put african blacks in such a game because these people are dying of hunger everyday.all i'm saying is people should be more considerate.:)

[Blazeking]

if black people worked on a game it still does not mean its not a racist game :confused:,thats just stupid.personally i would not have put african blacks in such a game because these people are dying of hunger everyday.all i'm saying is people should be more considerate.:)

I'm black (and other ****) too and I don't see a damn thing wrong with the game. People are just so fucking stupid and dumbed down.

[NexusBurst]

who would ever think there are Africans in Africa.

not me, i thought it was full of tigers, lions, snakes, ewoks and zombies.

[GazP]

Shows what a daft world we live in. :mad:

[agantai]

I'm black (and other ****) too and I don't see a damn thing wrong with the game. People are just so fucking stupid and dumbed down.

so what if your skin color is black ?? this game is not about any blacks :rolleyes: its about the real african blacks you know the ones dying of hunger in africa.

[SpoonerPSP]

Resident Evil has always been killing white zombies, be them Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, Latins, whatever. And now that there's black zombies it's a racist game? People are really dumb these days!

[agantai]

Resident Evil has always been killing white zombies, be them Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, Latins, whatever. And now that there's black zombies it's a racist game? People are really dumb these days!

you dont get it,using africa's blacks is the problem (the dying poor people) it would have been cool if it was about the blacks from the american ghetto's.

[Blazeking]

so what if your skin color is black ?? this game is not about any blacks :rolleyes: its about the real african blacks you know the ones dying of hunger in africa.

Don't you think I'm a descendant of them? RE5 has nothing to do with dying of hunger. It's about the T virus. There's people in the US dying from hunger everday but there's no attention on that.

"this game is not about any blacks :rolleyes: its about the real african blacks you know the ones dying of hunger in africa."

That's contradictive and offensive at the same time. Africa is also home to:
EGYPT!!! Egyptians are Africans. Ever seen a white african? I have. From South Africa. Africa isn't just all dark skinned people.


Resident Evil has always been killing white zombies, be them Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, Latins, whatever. And now that there's black zombies it's a racist game? People are really dumb these days!

I like how you think. That's why I said, "what's the problem"
It's not cool when a black person gets called the N word but it's alright to call them honky, cracker, etc??? Twisted logic. The N word just means "ignorant" and both white and black can be deemed the N word.

[agantai]

Don't you think I'm a descendant of them? RE5 has nothing to do with dying of hunger. It's about the T virus. There's people in the US dying from hunger everday but there's no attention on that.

"this game is not about any blacks its about the real african blacks you know the ones dying of hunger in africa."

That's contradictive and offensive at the same time. Africa is also home to:
EGYPT!!! Egyptians are Africans. Ever seen a white african? I have. From South Africa. Africa isn't just all dark skinned people..

i dont think the number of blacks dying of hunger & aids in america is anything like the huge disaster been happening in africa for many years.also the zombies in the game are BLACKS africans no egyptions there or even white africans & for the record they are getting shot by a white "human". http://www.gametrailers.com/player/21466.html

[rupter13612]

I just want to kill me some zombies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AceMilo]

The whole controversey about this game is totally unwarranted. ZOMG THERE'S BLACK PEOPLE IN AFRICA?!?!!!one!!oneone!!!?!1. That's not racist. If said black people were eating collard greens and fried chicken while spitting watermellon seeds at you while picking cotton then THAT would be racist. Having black (AFRICAN) people in AFRICA is not racist.

[mwa66]

Anyone remember the BBC version of Oliver Twist this christmas.....

Grimy, ignorrant, poverty stricken Victorian London, but with a completely modern multi-cultural society and a Black female lead :D

PC to the point where you deny history, kind of opens the door for it to be repeated?

Seems a bit Orwell imo?

[friko]

if black people worked on a game it still does not mean its not a racist game :confused:,thats just stupid.personally i would not have put african blacks in such a game because these people are dying of hunger everyday.all i'm saying is people should be more considerate.:)

There's nothing racist about it. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

If someone said "I don't want any black African people in any videogame", then THAT could be seen as racist!

The terrorists in many movies (say True Lies, Iron Man etc..) are from the middle-east, should that be racist?

[powasam5000]

you dont get it,using africa's blacks is the problem (the dying poor people) it would have been cool if it was about the blacks from the american ghetto's.

maybe its tied into the storyline. Its clear they are not racists.

[DSnoob]

I can't believe this crap, the Game is set in africa, you can't just yell **** like racism constantly, seriously, Africa is majority black, the first person that yelled you this game was racist, was more of a discriminating bigot than averyone else combined (just in case you didn't know, the MTV guy, is also a black guy, shocking eh? >.>)

but this issue has a lot of bull written behind it, it's like if tomorrow a game came out called "Bob Vila's redneck makeover edition" everyone would ***** and moan because it doesn't have any black guys in it, i mean seriously, WHAT THE HELL!!!!????

it's those same assholes that ***** JRPGs are racist because they don't have any black people in them.

Also, for the guy saying it's ofensive to the starving africans, look, if in the game the objective your mission was to kill starving africans, it would be ofensive, hell i'd be one of the first to get up and raise a voice, but you're not killing starving poeple, you're killing zombies, ZOMBIES!!! for god's sake, once it's a zombie, it's neither white nor black, it's a soulless abomination hellbent on eating out of your guts. you better frickin kill it.

and besides, if you want racial kindness and equality just don't get the game, buy barbie's horseride adventures and play as black barbie.

[Ursac]

Holy crap yall need to get off yer perch here for a second. Its a zombie killing game period. I could see the upraor if the game was about going into villages of the starving people in africa and opening up with an ak. But this is not the case. It is about a plague that turns the living into undead mindless zombies. So before ya jump down the devs throat or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps yall need to step back take a breath. Think before ya post. Then perhaps you would realise that killen the zombie is just killen zombies it isnt the least bit racist. Black people have all of a sudden started this "treat me good or I will call you a racist." thing. When the leading cause of black death in the US is by Blacks themselves. Sorry folks it isnt a candy coated world ya cant have it both ways. Either its ok for everyone to kill everyone or nobody to kill anybody. I prefer the latter of the two. Except when it comes to zombies.


"Black power = Black pride"

[KainXS]

honestly people, who gives a sh*t, it could have friggin green zombies in it, nobody would care that theres fukin black zombies, black people, fukin orange people.

If that game had a setting outside your doorstep would you give a crap . . . . NO

[Statix138]

I am demanding that Capcom recall every copy of every Resident Evil game because all of the zombies are white. As a white male I find it disgusting that blatant racism such as this goes unnoticed. I cant believe that this day and age we have such racial insensitivity, so much so that young children find it all right to go around and shoot white people. Maybe if Capcom had some white developers this sort of abomination would have noticed sooner!

[juise]

I'm black, I'm not offended! The game is based in friggin AFRICA, WHO THE HELL ELSE WOULD BE LIVING IN THE VILLAGES, KOREANS? People are idiots. If there is anything at all to complain about would be the lack of a playable black character. But then I'm sure the idiots would complain about black on black crime. So now I'll get to random white people who somehow end up in African shanty towns.

[DSnoob]

BTW, for anyone complaining this is Racist, stop ruining my Game, Sonic and the Black Knight has been announced, go moan about how it's not "Sonic and the White Knight" and leave this game alone.

[Ps3eolo]

Excluding previous idiotic comments,the real problem rely on the fact that this time instead of zombies you got black african"normal" people,so u could have an hidden association between the two,particulary considering the social and political situation is often in place in African countries(black african people bad=zombieslike).But course most of the people like you,doesnt even understand that,judgin by the great comments i saw.First idea for the game to having take part in Africa could have been that prejudice in the first place infact.

[Statix138]

Excluding previous idiotic comments,the real problem rely on the fact that this time instead of zombies you got black african"normal" people,so u could have an hidden association between the two,particulary considering the social and political situation is often in place in African countries(black african people bad=zombieslike).But course most of the people like you,doesnt even understand that,judgin by the great comments i saw.First idea for the game to having take part in Africa could have been that prejudice in the first place infact.

Either this is one of best trolls I have seen in a long time or you are just flat dumb. What about Resident Evil 4 that took place in Spain? I dont think it did because Capcom is racist against Spanish people. Maybe the reason Resident Evil is moving to Africa is because O I don't know that none of the games have taken place their yet? Also what color do you think people in Africa are, white? Well in South Africa yes but I digress. I really don't understand why people seem to think you have to tip toe through the tulips if anything has to do with some who is black?

[Marvin42_67]

so what if your skin color is black ?? this game is not about any blacks :rolleyes: its about the real african blacks you know the ones dying of hunger in africa.

And all the developpers should immediately stop making racing games... There are so many innocent children who get killed in car accidents each day...

[mwa66]

Excluding previous idiotic comments,the real problem rely on the fact that this time instead of zombies you got black african"normal" people,so u could have an hidden association between the two,particulary considering the social and political situation is often in place in African countries(black african people bad=zombieslike).But course most of the people like you,doesnt even understand that,judgin by the great comments i saw.First idea for the game to having take part in Africa could have been that prejudice in the first place infact.

If they make the game, surely it will provoke debates about racism like this one in forums all over the internet.... Is that not a healthy byproduct of allowing the freedom of expression in art?

It's in context, and this thread proves it's more than healthy imo......

[Prachanda]

The problem with this game isn't the zombies being African, it's the hero who kills the zombies being white.

[Statix138]

The problem with this game isn't the zombies being African, it's the hero who kills the zombies being white.

Those damn white people.

[(V)ega]

I'm black (and other ****) too and I don't see a damn thing wrong with the game. People are just so fucking stupid and dumbed down.

+1

I'm another black guy that's pissed the **** off by this. I mean, I was glad as hell like...wooo hoooooo.......I thought we finally hit the zombie lottery :p

[DSnoob]

hey, as long as the main character doesn't start the game by saying "i think imah' rough me up sum neegrooos and bring ums home to me wife-sister" i won't have any problems with the game.


EDIT:
though i would lol.

[Ps3eolo]

I dont think
Yes exactly.

[gonepostl]

Uh-oh he said "black" instead of African American!:D

[Statix138]

Yes exactly.

Thank you for proving my point with your well crafted and intelligent response.


Uh-oh he said "black" instead of African American!:D

I hate the term African American. There are, and I personally know a few, people who are black but are not African nor American. There is nothing wrong with saying black.

[canadajames]

screw being politically correct say what you want to say people should grow a backbone and just take things as words

[Evolution]

Why didnt we have this kind of controversy from the Eastern European yokel community when they were getting their heads shot off in Resident Evil 4?

This world is a joke now. Why dont they just make them all white. We can set it in South Africa or Zimbabwe instead of any other part of Africa.

That way we can kill as many honky zombies/possesed villagers as we like and no one will bat an eyelid.

We could even make the central character Robert Mugabe.

[Statix138]

Why didnt we have this kind of controversy from the Eastern European yokel community when they were getting their heads shot off in Resident Evil 4?

This world is a joke now. Why dont they just make them all white. We can set it in South Africa or Zimbabwe instead of any other part of Africa.

That way we can kill as many honky zombies/possesed villagers as we like and no one will bat an eyelid.

We could even make the central character Robert Mugabe.

Welcome to the world of reverse racism and double standards.

[GazP]

OK, who on here is actually offended by black zombies? The game is set in Africa, a lot of the people there are black. Anyone who thinks that it's racist really needs a reality check.

[imest]

The N word just means "ignorant" and both white and black can be deemed the N word.


You, my friend, are a saint! Finally someone who thinks as I do XD

[soulbwoy]

There's people in the US dying from hunger everday but there's no attention on that.


i dont think the number of blacks dying of hunger & aids in america

for all those who says people die from hunger in America, please show me numbers/statistics and cite your sources. because that simply isn't true. there is a lot of poverty and homelessness in America, but no one starves to death in America, we don't have a problem with food supplies, except that the cost has been going up recently.

[JouDoos]

I'm a white South African living in a 'white' suburb. All the comments and ignorance make me lol.

[soulbwoy]

i'm black and i say F*CK CENSORSHIP. game development is an art and people are trying to censor it.

[js2393]

I'm black, and I think this is completely stupid. The game takes place in Africa, so why wouldn't there be mainly black people in the game? If it was mainly white people the game would be unrealistic. If RE5 had a black protagonist killing mainly white zombies in Europe, these criticizers wouldn't give a damn, so why should they now? Oh, that's right, it's probably because they're actually the racist ones trying to blame others for racism. :rolleyes:

EDIT: Something tells me that if the game took place in Africa, but they took the blacks because of the racism complaints, then those same people would probably say Capcom is racist for not having blacks in it!:eek:

[Appleseed]

REALLY? oh thats fine then. if black people worked on the game then i suppose killing black people in the game is ok. especially when its PREDOMINANTLY black people.

its pathetic when people use racism as a crutch for proving their point, whatever it maybe. its even more pathetic when they try to use lame excuses, which makes it worse by making it something its not. RE5 is NOT a racist game in my opinion. but the more they dwell on explaining themselves the more theyre painting it in a color which makes it seem like it IS racist and theyre covering their backs.

(sort of like this website where after years and years the original moderator still retains the spirit of free speech which is what set maxconsole apart, while other idiots who have been given the moderation hammer recently throw it around without much insight. begs the age old question - whats worse than an idiot? an idiot who wields the power to affect others - you know who you are).

[mwa66]

Funny really that underneath the surface of most of the Romero flicks was a lot of intelligent social comment.....

I would have gone with Metaphor for aids......And the white protagonist symbolises the western Pharmaceutical companies......

[(V)ega]

Those black people that complained about the game being racist.... they didn't even care about that. They just used the race card just so they can sue capcom and get some money. And we all know how black people are about their money! They will sue ya to death for da BENJAMINZ!Now I know why I had ya on my ignore list. For comments like this one. FYI - Almost everyone in the US ( race doesn't matter ) is damn near suing for the BENJAMINS as you put it. ;) Just to let you know though, I got my money the hard way. Working 2 jobs and not getting any damn sleep. :D

[snipersnake]

The problem with this game isn't the zombies being African, it's the hero who kills the zombies being white.

damn, we need a bro' then ..

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5048/173848131ll2.jpg

[nambit]

Of the notion that african blacks are starving. There are a huge amount making
a nation for themselves and such. Being a Canadian black gentleman, I met a
wonderfully intelligent woman from Ethiopia (seriously, she's brilliant) who is just
weirded out by many North American blacks. There are many stereotypes of
Africans (some perpetuated by the NA blacks... I am not one of them) that make
it seem that's the only way of life for them. It's funny, there's a ton of diversity
between blacks around the world, yet, NA likes to paint a different picture. Heck,
my friend from Ethiopia was actually accused of not being black enough! Ouch!
Talk about a bunch of hypocrites! I tell ya, it's not easy having a dark complexion.

Alas, I'm happy that a game like RE5 came out because, well, it's set in Africa!
C'mon, that's gotta be one of the coolest settings for this game! Someone
mentioned the wealth of animals there and, yeah, there's plenty of potential. I'd
love to also see a game set in Australia as well as it would be wild too! Oh,
and yeah, I love the idea of black zombies. I also love the idea of Indian/Asian,
Persian, Native American, Latin, etc zombies. Wesker... U Da Man!

[NewBeginning]

Kudos to the Mexicans for not complaining when Resident Evil 4 came out.

[NewBeginning]

Now I know why I had ya on my ignore list. For comments like this one. FYI - Almost everyone in the US ( race doesn't matter ) is damn near suing for the BENJAMINS as you put it. ;) Just to let you know though, I got my money the hard way. Working 2 jobs and not getting any damn sleep. :D

You had him on your ignore list, huh?

[chelsKi_BLUE_8]

They moan when there is no black people and moan when theres too many!

[(V)ega]

You had him on your ignore list, huh?
I did but I decided to clean it out. :p

[(V)ega]

I can tell that you are not a black person by the statement you just made. Black people ON SUPER RARE OCCASION WOULD MAKE A STATEMENT LIKE THAT. I mean its no surprise to know that black people just don't like to work. They rather sit at home and collect those welfare checks and food stamps... and ride around in their Escalade with 24 inch rims.

Don't even bother with the racist card.... I have black family members....

1. If you don't think I'm black, just look around PPCGeeks website for me ;)

2. Just because the black people you came in contact with are lazy ass ****, don't lump us all in the same fucking barrell because I'll show you lazy asz white people, indian people, asain people. it's not a race thing, but a straight up, lazy ass people thing.

3. Just because the blacks in your family are lazy as ****, see response #2 ;)

4. Next your going to tell me you got black friends and they are lazy as well right ;)

[DSnoob]

I can tell that you are not a black person by the statement you just made. Black people ON SUPER RARE OCCASION WOULD MAKE A STATEMENT LIKE THAT. I mean its no surprise to know that black people just don't like to work. They rather sit at home and collect those welfare checks and food stamps... and ride around in their Escalade with 24 inch rims.

Don't even bother with the racist card.... I have black family members....
Let's see, so you know a few black people, good for you, but it'd be nice if you could notice how prejudice you are being, the "you are not a black person because of the statement" comment is complete bull, black people say same **** white people do and in same amounts.
or should i say, i have a black friend so since he eats chicken and watermelon obviously i can tell this person isn't black since he doesn't mention his love for chicken or watermelons?


for all those who says people die from hunger in America, please show me numbers/statistics and cite your sources. because that simply isn't true. there is a lot of poverty and homelessness in America, but no one starves to death in America, we don't have a problem with food supplies, except that the cost has been going up recently.
stop being so god-damn ignorant, you're offensive on a whole other level, and the brain dead stereotypes you spew are not a compliment to your intellect, or judging from this statement, lack thereof, there are poor and hungry everywhere, people die every day, from starvation, aids and everything else, people die all over the world, maybe YOU don't have a problem with food supplies, but it's just damn pretentious of you to judge yourself as a whole, poverty and homelessness is in one of the all time highs ever in America, and you say crap like that? you should be ashamed, you know it's because of the assholes like you that refused to admit there are people dieing from starvation that i spent 7 years of my life living in a one-room hut with six other members of my family eating once a week, i swear to god you could be a fucking politician, your capability to ignore the problem for the benefit of supporting your own statement is astounding.