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BioWare Apologizes For Its Handling Of Transgender Character, Outlines Changes
Yesterday, BioWare detailed a slew of improvements on the way for Mass Effect Andromeda. These updates will address glitches and wonky animations, but also provide some other fixes such as increasing inventory space and making it easier to bypass the Sudoku-like Remnant puzzles. In addition, BioWare said it would improve dialogue related to trans character Hainly Abrams. BioWare tweeted a statement today not only apologizing for its approach to the character but also outlining what these changes entail.
"Hainly Abrams was not included in a caring or thoughtful way," BioWare stated in a tweet. "We apologize to anyone who interacted with or was hurt by this conversation."
BioWare said it has since worked with the transgender community, both internally at BioWare and the broader community, to make the character more realistic. Hainly will now only reveal that she is trans if Ryder has developed the relationship enough to gain her trust and has supported her. Previously, the character stated straightaway that she was transgender, which players felt was unrealistic.
You can read the full tweet below.
Regarding Hainly Abrams: pic.twitter.com/nFpUKihqOj
— BioWare (@bioware) April 5, 2017
These changes should come in one of the updates BioWare has planned for the next two months, but no specific timeframe has been stated.
[Source: BioWare Twitter]
Our Take
BioWare has a history of responding to fans' concerns, so I'm happy to see that continue. Feedback helps make things better, allowing creators to become aware of their missteps. BioWare has been great about inclusivity, and that's worth noting. In fact, Krem was praised as a trans character done well in Inquisition. However, that doesn't mean the company is immune to mistakes. Apologizing is a great first step, and I like that it consulted the transgender community to help rectify the problem. I hope BioWare learns from this and continues to improve on making sure its characters come across as authentic as possible.
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