Ubisoft’s Far Cry 4 Contest a Far Cry From Good

Far Cry 4 fans, get excited! Ubisoft has a new contest in the works that would allow one lucky fan to get the experience of a lifetime and be the first to play Far Cry 4 in an exotic location! Where is this location, you may ask? Why, none other than the highest mountain in the world – Mount Everest!

Wait. What?

I understand that the new game is set to take place in an open world similar to the Himalayas, but is all of this really necessary? The promotional video states that one lucky fan “will accompany a team of experts to Everest to play Far Cry 4 while hiking through the Himalayas.” What a choice of wording there, Ubisoft. They go on to talk about their one-of-a-kind gaming system designed to be playable in the harsh conditions that are encountered on a hike up Everest. Does this mean that the player is going to be playing *while* hiking? That seems like a bad idea in general, not to mention the fact that you will be on a potential deadly mountain.

Over 200 people have died on Mount Everest, and not all were novice climbers. The mountain has even claimed the lives of some of the most experienced climbers in the world. And let’s be honest, the odds that an expert climber wins Ubisoft’s contest are relatively small. That means the game company plans to send a non-experienced climber on one of the hardest climbs that anyone can experience. This is not even factoring in the cost of this expedition (a permit to simply enter the area of Everest from Nepal costs $10,000-$20,000). Adding into the mix is the avalanche that occurred back in April, affecting a filming expedition for Discovery. The avalanche alone killed 13 sherpas, which are the natives designed to guide hikers up to the summit.

Overall, this seems like a really bad PR move for Ubisoft. There is a high chance of failure that has a high probability of ending in death. I think I’ll sit patiently and wait for November 18th for my chance to play Far Cry 4 from the safety of my own couch.

(via Joystiq)

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