The early release of Halo: Campaign Evolved recently took place. Owners of the premium edition have already been able to evaluate the remake of the classic shooter and share their impressions online.
Niles Sankey, the author of the original Halo, noticed screenshots from the game and was dissatisfied with what he saw — too many female soldiers:
It seems the Halo [remake] developers decided that MOST of the marines should now be women. I don't mind seeing a female marine occasionally, but we're starting to enter "clown show" territory.
User Matt Brown joined the discussion, noting that from a business perspective, reaching a female audience is potentially a good idea. However, he also suggested that it could simply be an act of activism on the part of the Halo: Campaign Evolved creators:
If you look at the consumer market, you'll see: women spend much more than men. Yes, men make large purchases, but they tend to save on everyday expenses. Capturing a female audience (which sounds like a pipe dream for shooters/military games) means you suddenly have three times more money. Well, that's one justification. In reality, it's an attempt to challenge traditional social norms.
Niles Sankey agreed that this is likely not about business or creativity, but about the developers' views:
I don't think they did it [to reach a female audience] here. Most likely, the development team consists of left-wing activists who consider it their moral duty to add "diversity" in the hope that it will help change culture.