Far Cry 5

The setting and the tone of the game originated from separatism. According to Hay, when he was young, he often felt unsafe because of the conflicts between the two superpowers during the Cold War. This manifested in the twenty-first century in the form of frequent terrorist attacks such as the September 11 attacks, and financial problems such as the subprime mortgage crisis and in turn caused people to become increasingly protective as they questioned the government. Ultimately the concept of the "global village" began to collapse, which sets the theme of the game and prompted the team to write a story that features a doomsday cult as the game's main antagonist. Hay started writing the story in late 2014; in February 2016, he investigated the details of the occupation and standoff of a wildlife refuge in Oregon, as he wanted to look for evidence that can show the rise of separatism.[8] To create a memorable story, the characters in the game were designed to have different views and opinions on important events, and different ideologies.
Far Cry 5's announcement in May 2017 came at a time of heightened political and ideological conflict around the world due to recent political events, such as the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States and the onset of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Many journalists opined that Far Cry 5's setting and narrative concept, involving themes of religious fanaticism and the rise of the far-right within the borders of the United States—as opposed to the more exotic locales depicted in other Far Cry titles—would likely make the game highly controversial in the current climate.[2][13][25] These journalists noted that due to the long development cycle, it was unlikely that Ubisoft intentionally designed the game's narrative around the political climate at the time of the announcement, adding that Ubisoft had been careful to downplay any perceived connections to then-current real world events.[25][26] Responding to the criticism, game director Dan Hay revealed that the story was written to discuss the consequences of beliefs and ideologies being taken to their most extreme form rather than as a response to a particular political event.[27]