Far Cry 3 developer Mark Thompson has told VG247 that violence in the game is justifiable as long as there is a good reason.

The latest instalment in the Far Cry series sparked some debate at E3 over the change in tone the franchise had taken concerning the level of violence which was being seen.

Mr Thompson said:

“Violence and artistic value aren’t mutually exclusive: it’s more about how honest you are with people regarding the games’ core mechanics and the story’s characters.

“One mistake that games can make is to simply not acknowledge the violence and pretend like it isn’t important … that their protagonist is nonchalantly killing a ton of people. If you ignore what your core mechanics are asking players to do, if you pretend like players aren’t being rewarded for killing, then it will undermine the narrative.

The upcoming Ubisoft game will leave players stuck on a series of tropical islands (not entirely unlike the first game’s setting) in the boots of Jason Brody. Stranded and dropped in the middle of a conflict which has engulfed the islands, you must fight to survive the hostile environment and battle to save your friends.

It doesn’t judge whether this is right or wrong. It isn’t about creating a morality play. We simply take someone who hasn’t killed before and force them to kill, in order to save their own life and then the lives of their closest friends.”

Far Cry 3 will hit shelves 30 November for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

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