We talk same-sex romance in Greedfall with Jehanne Rousseau, CEO of Spiders
With Greedfall now released to the world, players are keen to get stuck into this new, albeit-very-colonial RPG from Spiders. Here at Gayming Magazine, our LGBT and BAME audience is very important to us, so we were eager to find out more about same-sex romance in Greedfall, as well as how they’ll be handling the colonial aspects of the game.
Having seen a preview of the game, and played a little of it, I decided that the only way to get the answers to my questions was to, of course, ask CEO of Spiders, Jehanne Rousseau.
We hope that with Rousseau’s answers, we too will be able to provide some for our audience. Enjoy!
– Greedfall looks stunning and has an interactive, immersive world. What was the reason to include romance in the game?
Some RPG players really enjoy having the possibility to romance other characters during their journey, and it’s true that it can add even more depth to a story or a universe. So, even if it is always complicated to add interesting and compelling romance stories, we decided to give some romance options in our game.
– With Greedfall being set in the 17th century, same-sex romances being included may seem odd to those who may feel it isn’t ‘historically accurate’. Were there any worries about including same-sex romances?
Well same-sex love has always existed, even if, alas, it had to be hidden for centuries. But some people were not constrained by the same social obligations than others.
The characters we chose for these same-sex romances could have even been married in the real 17th century. The sailors and pirates were far more open-minded concerning same sex relationships, and some native people were known to allow marriage to same-sex persons.
So even if our game is not historical and was never meant to be a history lesson, we care to choose characters for same sex relationships with backgrounds that would indeed allow them to choose their lover without being afraid of the judgment of society.
– One of the romance options can be between yourself and a native companion. With colonialization being such a huge part of Greedfall’s concept, was there any concern about how to handle this relationship?
We really tried to handle the subject of colonization with care and obviously a player who will choose to stand against the natives won’t be able to romance Siora.
There are some surprises in the player’s journey that can make this love story not as problematic as it seems at first, but I can’t reveal them without spoiling the scenario.
– Fire Emblem, a game that was recently released, also included same-sex romances but there was a disparity in number for gay men in comparison to gay women. Despite stating it was gay-friendly, it left some of the LGBT community feeling ostracized. Do you feel that both gay men and women will feel like they have an equal amount of options?
It’s true that we have less options for LGBT characters than we have for straight. One of the reason is explained above. We wanted these love stories to feel natural even in a setting inspired by history, but there are, of course, also more materialistic reasons.
It may have been a bad decision, and I’m really sorry if some players feel ostracized because of it, as obviously it was not our intention at all. To be honest we didn’t even “count” the options. We should have and it’s something we will be more careful about in the future.
– Could you tell me more about the depth of romance options in Greedfall? Is the inclusion of them solely for role-playing purposes, or are there mechanical/gameplay repercussions?
The repercussions are only connected to the story, as a simple friendship will give you the same companion bonuses than love on a gameplay point of view.
– The inclusion of same-sex romances in Spiders games, particularly in The Technomancer, have helped players with coming out as well as feeling represented in your games. Do you feel that you will continue to include same-sex romances in the future?
I’ve got a strange relationship with the characters I’m writing. After a while, I’m considering them as if they were real people around me. Part of my family.
Andrew (the male companion, and possible romance to Zachariah, the hero of Technomancer) is the character I’ve created that is one of the most important to me. I’ve been living with him for months in some ways and I like him like a brother. When I was writing his story he was the intended love interest of Zach. His twin soul. And I was really happy when some of our players told us how this character help them feel included in Technomancer.
I hope that despite the numbers, our players will enjoy Siora and Vasco who are both amazing characters, and of course, we will continue to include same-sex romance in the future and we will even take more care about a more balanced representation and options.
Wanting to know more about your romance options in Greedfall? Check out our article on who to woo.
About The Author
I really enjoyed the option for a gay romance in Greedfall, though I do wish it had been more deeply written, more entwined with the larger plot. Once it materialized, it just was, without the chance for greater story depth or any kind of follow up. Still, I liked the game enough to buy Technomancer, and I’m very excited to see where Spiders goes next. Thank you for posting this interview!