Should video game remakes/reboots change the ethnicity of the main character?

[Disasterpeace]

Big fat no.

Changing a already stablished characters to black looks forced and lazy. Create new minority characters and have them be the protagonists.

Like Miles Morales in Spider-Man

 

[monmagman]

If they were to reboot the Resident Evil franchise and Chris Redfield rocks up as an asian dude.....cool,whatever.
If I were to play Resident Evil 8 and Chris Redfield rocks up as an asian dude.....wtf,that's not Chris Redfield.

 

[ShinUltramanJ]

One of the things that I dislike in games and movies whereever it exists is replacing an existing character with existing story with a person of color, ESPECIALLY black.

As a black person myself, to ME I kinda see it as a sleight or to appease "political correctness" culture. I don't like it when we are "shoe-horned in" into stuff just so you can say "we are inclusive too!"..as it screams laziness to me. If you want to add a black person, CREATE a NEW CHARACTER or STORY surrounding them FROM THE GROUND UP. Give us our OWN foundation to be built on, not someone else's...so that way the character can experience natural growth and ups and downs instead of possible pre-determined scenarios from the "outline" they were originally based on.

That's one of the reasons why I love the way Miles Morales was handled in the Marvel Universe cause although he is introduced as "Spider-Man"...the OG Spidey STILL EXISTS and is totally different compared to Miles and they can co-exist together.

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Well said.

 

[higemaru]

Who cares. It's an arbitrary decision most of the time; not like 95% of the storylines would change if a character was from a different place, different race, different sex or sexuality.

That said, capital G gamers would burn down the world. As pretty as Cloud is imagine if they just made him female identifying? Or if instead of a wise cracking white guy, Drake was a wise cracking Latino dude.

People would be swatting dev's officies 24-7.

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Yeah 95% of the time, changing the character's ethnicity would not affect the themes of the story. Like with Leon or Claire in RE2, there are zombies - escape the city. That's the conflict. If they made Leon black, that's fine by me - just make sure he's also black in RE4 Remake.

 

[Precious Tritium]

If it's a reboot or a re-imagining, I have no problem with it. Examples like MJ in the new Spider-Man, Human Torch in Fantastic 4.

But specifically a remake of an older game seems like it wouldn't make sense to change main characters appearance drastically. It would be pretty bizarre if they made Cloud a POC in FF7 Remake.

I'm trying to wrap my head around why I feel differently about movie remakes and game remakes. I guess we're used to seeing a lot of classic movies get re-made several times every 10-20 years and they probably more often fall into a re-imagining than a remake. Where as FF7 Remake and RE2 Remake are basically those same games again but with modern graphics and gameplay.

 

[Deleted member 17207]

I don't think the zero suit will really be seen for awhile again outside of end game screens. In samus returns that was it. It seems like Sakamoto wanted to really lean back from where things got in other m.

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Let's hope so.

 

[Leo-Tyrant]

One of the things that I dislike in games and movies whereever it exists is replacing an existing character with existing story with a person of color, ESPECIALLY black.

As a black person myself, to ME I kinda see it as a sleight or to appease "political correctness" culture. I don't like it when we are "shoe-horned in" into stuff just so you can say "we are inclusive too!"..as it screams laziness to me. If you want to add a black person, CREATE a NEW CHARACTER or STORY surrounding them FROM THE GROUND UP. Give us our OWN foundation to be built on, not someone else's...so that way the character can experience natural growth and ups and downs instead of possible pre-determined scenarios from the "outline" they were originally based on. On top of just giving them something original and unique to them.

That's one of the reasons why I love the way Miles Morales was handled in the Marvel Universe cause although he is introduced as "Spider-Man"...the OG Spidey STILL EXISTS and is totally different compared to Miles and they can co-exist together.

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Great summary. I think Miles is a great example of making a new character (no matter the ethnicity) thats even better than the previous stablished "default Spiderman protagonist".

Without erasing that previous character characteristics.

Your approach is better. And YES it is harder, it takes more work-effort, but its REAL. Its a real new character that will win you over , not a "replace charater skin X with Y just to fill a quota".

For example: Final Fantasy XVI having the opportunity to create a new great black character as the main protagonist is something that I would really appreciate.

But changing Cloud, a character very well established since the 90s, a character that does not offend (I assume) any particular ethnicity in his looks or behaviors, to another ethniciy wouldnt make sense to me.

 

[Dark Cloud]

I would say not really to changing them. Something like Star Tropics I wouldn't mind bringing back with a minority character.

 

[balgajo]

Probably not. In general characters are also part of the appeal of a remake.

 

[MorshuTheTrader]

No, established characters should stay the same. As others have said, it usually comes off as cheap and I'd argue it's not truly adding diversity anyways. For example, if you made Doom guy black, he'd just be another version of a character inseparable from the original white character, never able to truly stand/exist on his own. But if you made a new bad ass black character that teams up with or takes over for Doom guy? Now you have limitless potential going forward.

As others have said, Miles in Spiderman is a great example of this.

Also I just want to see this gif in Doom:

 

[ANTiFanboyDevon]

Can they? Sure with context. Sure. Should they as like a rule? Absolutely not

 

[Apo]

Should? No, definitely not!
If an IP is completely rebooted and they retell a story in a different setting or different timeline or different world / universe where an existing character with a different ethnicity would fit then it would be fine. But I would prefer new IPs with new characters or introduce new characters with other ethnicities in existing IPs.
Otherwise it would feel forced, unnecessary and a little bit like the opposite of whitewashing.

 

[Deleted member 26526]

Pity there's isn't a don't care option in the poll.

I just wanna play the game

 

[Mekanos]

Indifferent. Realistically I don't expect corporations to change the ethnicity of their most iconic mascots, you're probably never going to see a Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker, etc. that isn't white outside of a random Elseworlds story here or there. The same is true for video game characters, they are static mascots that are supposed to be consistently recognizable for marketing and brand consistency. You're more likely to see that sort of change with supporting characters, like Nick Fury.

If they did change them, it might be cool, but it seems so far from the possibilities of reality that I don't really have an opinion on it.

 

[Panther2103]

I don't think it matters one way or the other. If it's a change that is done well I'm okay with it. If they don't want to change the character that's fine as well.

 

[Deleted member 13798]

Doom and Wolfenstein weren't reboots though. They were direct sequels

As a rule, I don't really care but I don't think you should change an established character for no reason either- make new characters that can breathe out from under the weight of the past. Example: Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Many people might disagree but I don't think you should change something like that just because you can, but you should have more representation and you should take both steps to have different diverse characters become the leads in your franchises if possible.

It's not a reboot and I forget his name but Splinter Cell Blacklist introduced a new character who was black, and an operative alongside Sam. I think ultimately it would've been great to see Sam become the new director and for him to take over as the lead in the series. Passing the torch is way more meaningful at times.

 

[XaviConcept]

If its a good fit, why not? Some games are tied to telling a particular story and race can play a factor in that. However, in some games, like, if they remade Captain Commando or something, why not consider a different ethnicity?

 

[AllEchse]

It depends on how much they want reinvent.
LIke, if it's a totally new take on the story that maybe also changes the setting it should work.
But if it's something like Final Fantasy VII Remake, which does reinvent the game gameplay and structurewise, but where they are really trying to capture the old look of the original and bring it up to todays standarts it would be weird if Cloud was suddenly black.
Like it would feel like a change just for the sake of it and just be a token character?
Many people here brought up Miles Morales and I agree.
He IS Spiderman, but he also has his own Origin story and own struggles.
It just depends on what they are going for with the remake and the execution.

 

[Kalentan]

Yea, I know Cloud was made in Japan. I'm just saying there's nothing about him that looks ethnically Japanese. He looks white, especially relative to numerous Asian NPCs in his own game (including more stylized ones like Madam M).

I think it's more progressive when the character at least looks like the race they supposedly are.

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This is what I was thinking. Although maybe not quite the thread on it but... is Raiden in Mortal Kombat supposed to be Asian or not?

Like you'd think due to his name and outfit the answer is obvious but maybe it's just me...

Spoiler: MK11 ending spoiler

I think he looks like a white dude. At least here. He sort of vaguely looks like his voice actor Richard Epcar.

 

[Mekanos]

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This was cool but unfortunately they weren't consistent with it. In USUM they went back to GBA Archie:

And I feel like now ORAS Archie will be lost to time. That's sorta my thing with this premise, it's cool when they do it, but the companies are rarely going to stick with it.

 

[knightmawk]

Where is the poll option for "it doesn't matter as long as their original identity wasn't important to the story"

 

[Viale]

Personally, I'd rather old characters didn't get altered so heavily to be different races and what not. What should be done is to create new characters with these things in mind.

An amazing example of this imo is Miles Moralez.

 

[Ruisu]

They should do it just to root out people who are against it.

 

[TheKeyPit]

BJ being a Jewish person of Polish descent is kind of integral to the plot in the new Wolfenstein games and used to great effect. You can of course change his ethnicity but you'd have to change a lot of stuff around it as well.

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A Django Unchained like main character killing KKK members.

I'd play that.

 

[Catilio]

Reboots, yeah, why not? They are doing "the same", but from scratch. New approach, new ideas.

Remakes, I think nono. For me a remake has to be in line with the original, only to be played with a newer cast or new technologies etc..

 

[ClickyCal']

This was cool but unfortunately they weren't consistent with it. In USUM they went back to GBA Archie:

And I feel like now ORAS Archie will be lost to time. That's sorta my thing with this premise, it's cool when they do it, but the companies are rarely going to stick with it.

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To be fair, the premise specifically there was about alternate timelines where the bad guys won from the original games specifically. It ties to how ORAS itself introduced alternate timelines in pokemon and made clear that the original versions actually still were canon. The remakes were different timelines.

 

[ShutterMunster]

Sure, why not?

 

[roflwaffles]

Probably not for remakes. People love the characters and designs more than the stories IMO.

 

[Frosty Death Knight]

I think whenever you make big drastic changes to a preconceived character the conversation isn't about the game (or any other medium) it's about the change that was made. Both sides shouting for why they think it's good or bad etc. all the while everything else about it almost fades to nothingness for a long time. I remember when the Harry Potter play came out (And before it's release too) all people could talk about was how they swapped the race of Hermione. Most of the conversation about the implications of the story kind of fell to the wayside because that one conversation dominated. I think this detracts from the medium itself. Do we need more diverse characters? Yes of course, so so so many games have very generic cookie cutter characters. But the answer in my opinion is new characters. You get so much more when you go into new territory and the change brought upon by this is much more genuine then "hey we swapped the skin tone".

 

[Eddman]

Another vote to "just create new lead characters of different ethnicities".

I think changing an already stablished character works in cases like Zelda, where Link is a different person in almost every game, so you can do whatever with him/her.

 

[fspm]

Americans are funny... But in a very sad way

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That's why their prez is dude with blonde hair.

 

[Mekanos]

How do people feel about Nick Fury (I'm aware he was changed in the comic, point still stands), the rumor of Idris Elba being Bond, Momoa playing Aquaman?

They were already established races...

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I think it's a little different with those because you're dealing with actors and not computer rendered mascots who are typically meant to be recognizable across eras. Bond and comic book characters also change continuities pretty frequently while nowadays most gaming series tend to stick with one continuity/timeline. Star Wars on the other hand will always have a white Luke and a white Han Solo because the original actors were white and they stay in the same continuity. A total reboot though I would imagine would be a lot easier to pull this type of thing off.

 

[L Thammy]

Punch Out kinda did it with Little Mac.

 

[EVIL]

I think its fully into the developers hands, if they want to do that, then fine.

While I strongly agree we should have more diverse game characters, its simply not smart to force it onto reboots or remakes because you will receive a strong rejection from people who are greatly and emotionally attached to a franchise who would reject any major change in the game, let alone its cast because of that strong nostalgic feeling. And you can respect that or not, the fact is that there is a strong industry around that, which is why we see so many games getting ported, remade, etc to new systems.

I think adding a more diverse cast is something that should be happening in the development of new IP's where you can give audiences a chance to fall in love with those character on their own merits and not because they are shoehorned into an existing product just to get a win.

the industry needs to move this issue forward with new titles, not by rewriting history.

 

[gdt]

stupid poll options


They can if they want.

 

[Xadra]

Reboot? Yes. Why not?
Remake / remaster? No.

(Should? No. Could? Yes.
I mean, should is a strong word. Is up to the developers to tell the best story as freely as they can. )

 

[Deleted member 6582]

I can't say I'm that invested in anyone's race/gender and whatever social identity markers people want come up with. All I care is that it plays good.

It might actually be kinda fun if more devs just went out there. What if BJ blazkowicz was a black woman? I mean it's already a made-up world with Hitler mechs why would that be the thing to break the illusion? We're making virtual worlds, we can do whatever the fuck we want.

 

[Calvarok]

the fact that this is a debate when talking about reboots and remakes, concepts specifically designed to allow divergence from original material and timelines, is indicative more of a deep societal flaw than it is a ponderance of the limits a remake should adhere to.

ie the reason any limitations exist at all is because of the biases and preferences of the audience. what does that tell you in this particular context, i wonder?

 

[Phellps]

If it increases representation and diversity, why not.

If it reduces representation and diversity, it's fucked up tbh

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Yeah, I guess this is how I feel about this.

 

[Artifice]

Create new characters for people of color. Changing existing characters is just lazy and is just as bad when it is the opposite in movies - a colored person played by a white person. I hate it when the original source material had asian/black characters that were changed to white like "the Ancient One" in "Dr. Strange". There are numerous others examples. Doing what OP suggests will also give rise to "when x character was turned to black/asian, why can y character not be turned to a white character?"

 

[EdgeXL]

In my perfect world every video game would give players the option to adjust their character's ethnicity and gender. As for remakes, I do not see any reason to force developers to change a character simply because a game is being remade but I would not mind if they did.

 

[Jaxar]

Change just for the sake of change? No.

Change because the story and setting calls for it? Sure, go right ahead.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

I wouldn't mind it when it comes to reboot.

They are reboots for a reason. I would take a Laura Cruz Tomb Raider game:

Laura Cruz

Laura Cruz (later known as Lara Cruz) was the first name for the heroine of the Tomb Raider games, picked by Guy Miller. It was first changed to Lara (which is the name used in the prototype stories) due to Americans not being able to pronounce Laura, and Cruz was later replaced with British...

tombraider.fandom.com

 

[En-ou]

I believe in writing stories that naturally have diversity. Simply swapping skin color can come across as forced and detract from the experience.

 

[Deleted member 62078]

Should be an option for "yeah, why not?". I don't care if it happens or not, but I don't think it should be a rule that it shouldn't happen. Largely I agree with OP.

RE2 is a weird example cos I'm not sure how you'd deal with Leon and Claire's appearances elsewhere in RE lore, but I don't see why Doomguy couldn't at least hand the mantle over to a new character. It seems like Marvel did a reasonably good job doing just that with Miles Morales (going off the Spider-Verse movie reaction at least).

I'm white though, so what do I know.

 

[Tayaya]

This is tough one to answer with a simple yes or no.

Iconic characters are iconic for a reason. Their identity is pretty much set in stone and changing that just to take artistic license with a property would indeed feel forced. Like if Nintendo suddenly made a Mario game with a black or hispanic Mario, would he still be Mario?

But something like the Little Mermaid is a bit different. We only have the iconic Ariel from Disney's version of the story, but the Little Mermaid itself is a very old story with an ambiguous group of characters, as many fairy tales of its time were. So there I'd say "yes." Go ahead and do what you will with the characters as long as you keep the framework of the story intact.

I think any game with a character creator should absolutely allow for customizing gender and ethnicity, especially in cases where the on-screen character is supposed to represent the actual player. This seems obvious, but it wasn't until New Horizons that Animal Crossing let you make black characters I think.

There's also a difference between remakes and reboots. In a reboot, I think more creative license is afforded and encouraged than we'd see in a straight remaster or remake. The Star Trek reboots by J J Abrams were able to use the alternate timeline excuse which was cool because they could take some creative liberties with the characters and still keep it canon. But ultimately it's going to come down to how iconic a character is, and whether or not "who they are" plays a role in the story, as we've seen with the Wolfenstein and Doom examples being brought up. Master Chief, while iconic, has a pretty generic name and we've never seen him with his helmet off. So they could play with his ethnicity and I doubt it would have an effect on Halo as a whole (but I don't know enough about the series' lore to make a true judgement).

So yeah... tough one to answer because there's a lot more to a character's identity beyond the color of their skin or their gender that define who they are and how they fit into their respective games. It'll always take work to adjust some of those relationships around some of those things, but certain characters are so well-rooted into large franchises that there is a point where the amount of re-working becomes extreme, so it would take a talented team and a bigger budget to do properly.

I hope I explained that well enough!

 

[Tbm24]

Can't say I want to replay a remake of a game and find a Latino stand in as the main character. I guess it would really depend on what game we're talking about to really say how I'll feel about it. Using Metroid as an example since there's fan art in the first page for it, this wouldn't move me one bit.

 

[Deleted member 15240]

Sure, anything to get some more diversity in gaming cause god knows it is sorely needed.

 

[ManNR]

Should they? I don't know. Above my paygrade to make those decisions.

Can they? Sure. Plenty of opportunity to do something new (and reach new people) with an established story.

 

[Garlador]

Honestly shocked at the response so far.

I mean, maybe it's the phrasing. SHOULD they? Nobody should force them to do something, but would it be nice? Hell yeah!

Comics do this all the time. Without rebooting and changing ethnicity, comics would be so blisteringly white, but getting with the times and expanding diversity and doing new takes on old characters we've gotten some great ones.

I mean, is there anyone seriously wishing we'd go back to a white Nick Fury?

From Heimdall to Blind Al to MJ, casting POC for what were typically generic white people roles has given us a much wider and more diverse roster of characters and people represented on screen. With a few exceptions, I've not seen any real detriment to this approach, despite what some butthurt racists have claimed.

It's all in execution. A good story is a good story, and if the hero is black and it's executed well, I'm all for it - whether they be a new character, reboot, remake, etc.

Is anybody freaking out over black Catwoman in the new Harley show? Anybody? It would be, like, the fourth time she's been cast with a black actress despite her traditionally being conceived as a generic white woman.

So do it well and I'm all for it. We need a lot more representation and color in this world.