In a recent interview with Polygon, Deep Silver creative director Guido Eickmeyer had some interesting things to say about the company’s upcoming multi-title property Ride to Hell. His take on the game? “It’s a little cheesy. There are some sensitive topics around this title.” He also adds, “It’s not something that everybody will like, definitely not. We’re going to have people who even hate it. But we know we’re going to have a lot of fans as well, a lot of people will love it, a lot of people will laugh. It’s going to be an exciting thing.”
Ride to Hell isn’t actually a single game, but a larger brand that will include a multi-platform AAA title (Ride to Hell: Retribution), an arcade title (Ride to Hell: Route 666) and a mobile release (Ride to Hell: Beatdown). All three center around biker gangs, with Retribution following the story of Vietnam vet Jake Conway taking on the Devil’s Hand Gang. The game’s cinematic teaser suggests a sort of poor man’s Tarantino/Rodriquez vibe, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in that considering Deep Silver’s been known to fudge a bit when it comes to trailers (see: Dead Island).
More interesting are Eickmeyer’s statements, which at first glance would seem to be pointing out the obvious. Even if the tone wasn’t deliberatively exploitative, a period piece about biker gangs is inevitably going to contain a fair amount of un-PC material. Is this an attempt to drum up some controversial pre-release hype, or does Deep Silver really have something particularly offensive up their sleeve? It’s not like the company hasn’t shown some questionable taste in the past. Looking back at the charming UK “Zombie Bait” Edition of Dead Island: Riptide and it’s clear Deep Silver doesn’t have a problem pushing boundaries or buttons. I guess we’ll have to wait and find out if there’s a quality game to go with those sensitive topics, as Retribution drops June 25 for 360, PS3 and PC.
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