War gaming decried

>> Mile-End residents question Ubisoft’s
contracts with the U.S. military

UNCLE SAM WANTS GAMERS: America’s Army

by JESSE ROSENFELD

Following the June 1 St-Viateur street festival, a group of Mile-End residents are voicing strong concerns about the connection between the event’s main sponsor the U.S. military. Accusing French videogame giant Ubisoft—whose Montreal branch was the street festival’s main sponsor—of war profiteering, the residents are angry about contracts with the American military that have seen Ubisoft-designed and -distributed games licensed for the purpose of training military personnel and testing soldiers.

They are especially upset about the exclusive contract that the company has with the U.S. military to produce and distribute the console version of the game America’s Army, which is used as an army recruitment tool, distributed free on the game’s official Web site. Upon completing the game, a direct link is provided for players to the Amy’s recruitment page.

The group distributed leaflets at the street fair highlighting Ubisoft’s military connections and their concerns with them. Michael Reeson, one of the Mile-End protesters, says he was approached by a Ubisoft Montreal employee during the event who said there were many employees who opposed the contracts.

“He said there was an internal petition [opposing the U.S. military contracts] that employees at the Montreal branch signed and presented to management. He insinuated that was the reason that the Montreal office never ended up working on that project,” says Reeson.

Cédric Orvoine, director of external communication and public relations for Ubisoft Montreal, denies any knowledge of the petition. Orvoine also denies that Ubisoft was providing games for training and simulation of the U.S. military and contends that the company’s sole relationship with the U.S. military was for the distribution of America’s Army for Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation in the United States.

“The only connection between Ubisoft in the U.S. and the U.S. Army game is that Ubisoft is distributing the game,” says Orvoine. Ubisoft’s Montreal branch “has nothing to do with distribution of the game or any business relations with the U.S. Army. We’re not [designing games specifically for the U.S. Army], we’re doing fiction games.”

However, in 2001, the U.S. Department of Defense licensed Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear from Ubisoft for training military personnel. In 2003, Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield was licensed by the U.S. Army for testing soldiers’ skills. Both games were developed in Montreal, as were other titles in the popular series.

Reeson says that although the residents are targeting Ubisoft and their business practices, he respects the fact that the Montreal office isn’t involved with the America’s Army contracts—especially if it’s a result of employee opposition. “But it’s all the same company,” he says.

The group also expresses concern about the borough’s involvement with companies they say are profiting from war, arguing that such relationships should end and ethical guidelines be put in place for companies it deals with.

Marc Snyder, a spokesperson for Plateau borough mayor Helen Fotopulos, says that the borough’s only relationship with the event was granting a permit, which was given to the St-Viateur merchants’ association, of which Ubisoft is a member. He says that the borough does not have a policy of ethical guidelines for granting permits because subjective, value-based decisions could lead to discrimination.

Ubisoft’s U.S. office refused to return repeated calls from the Mirror requesting an interview.