Bioware Apologizes Formally for Hainly Abrams

Bioware, the company that could once do no wrong, has been doing a lot wrong as of late. The release of Mass Effect: Andromeda hasn’t been the glorious return to the Mass Effect world we all hoped it would be: between the game’s myriad of gameplay problems, animation issues, and dissatisfied customers who wish Bioware would stop treating dialogue like it's 2006, it seems Bioware has spent more time apologizing for their game than basking in the accolades they once enjoyed. And now, today, Bioware is apologizing for yet another issue, but this time, it’s not for janky animations or weird fish-eyed conversation… it’s for a character named Hainly Abrams, an NPC scientist you occasionally talk too.

On Twitter, Bioware posted the following:

“In Mass Effect: Andromeda, one of our non-playable characters, Hainly Abrams, was not included in a caring or thoughtful way. We apologize for anyone who interacted with or was hurt by this conversation. This was never our intent, and was the unfortunate byproduct of the iterative process of game design and a change in the structure of the dialogue.

We are working on this issue…”

 
So, you might be wondering, “Wait, what’s the big deal with Hainly Abrams”? Well, the big problem here is that she’s Transgender, born a man. And while that probably pissed off some of their audience, those people aren’t who Bioware are apologizing too: they’re apologizing to the LGBT crowd. See, it was pointed out to them that Hainly is unrealistically cavalier about their past as a male, and the fact that they’re transgender. In fact, you barely have to talk to them for them to admit that they used to be a dude. This was viewed as unrealistic, unsympathetic, and almost overeager for Bioware to show that they have a diverse cast of characters: more of a token effort than a genuine one.

Others, of course, see the apology as a sign of weakness and SJW whining. I’ll let you decide what you think, but if you’re a long-time reader than you’ve probably already figured out where I stand on this particular issue.

A patch expected to adjust their dialogue and make it friendlier to the transgender audience is expected in the future.