"Far Cry 5" has been the center of controversy regarding its use of white American extremists as the main antagonist. Not long after the promo poster was released, a petition to cancel the game surfaced and was quickly disseminated by the media.
However, as the petition gained steam on social media, many questioned its authenticity. Skeptics saw the petition as an elaborate hoax aimed to troll the alt-right or the far-left or possibly even both.
According to Forbes, the entire petition is riddled with statements that indicate it was a fake. Some sections are also very confusing that it is hard to determine the author's reasoning for even writing it.
The letter also used several words often heard from alt-right trolls, including "degenerates" and "miscengentors," while at the same time bashes the feminist movement. It even referenced "Gamergate," which is a subject only known mostly by gamers.
If those are not enough to convince the readers of its nature, the letter also misspelled the name Voltaire to Boltair. However, the theme of demanding more diversity in a white nationalist group in a game that just a few lines earlier the petitioner smacked for being too politically correct just reaks of trolls.
Whether by accident or on purpose, it certainly gives the petition, which can be read here on Change.org, a lack of authenticity, let alone validity. Nevertheless, it seems that many have finally caught on with the "joke" and are now treating the cancel "Far Cry 5" petition as such.
While there is still no detail regarding the person behind the petition, many are already pointing to alt-right groups. 4chan, in particular, has been held responsible given that users from /pol/ have a reputation for trolling on a grand scale (think Shia LaBeouf).
Ubisoft has yet to issue a decision on whether to cancel "Far Cry 5" due to the controversy surrounding it. However, it should be noted that they "said" they would cancel the release should the petition reach 500 signatures.
