Commanders have arrived in Sniper Fury!
Gameloft Bucharest’s first-person shooter game was released in 2015 with three main characters—MC, Tex Fury, and Val— who would guide players throughout their missions. Eventually, more characters were added to Sniper Fury in the form of Squadmates and Deputies. But as the game evolved, so did its community, becoming more diverse with each passing year.
Sniper Fury players voiced their desire to see themselves reflected in the game, and seeing the need for better representation, the game team created twenty new characters from different genders and races!
A new era
There are four types of Commanders: Terrestrial Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Forces, each with five rarity types. They’re a new type of consumable that, when activated, provides various buffs to players for a limited duration.
Next to being a new feature in Sniper Fury, the Commanders are also a declaration from the team signaling the kind of game and community they want to create. “Making sure that players see Sniper Fury as a safe place where sharing feedback is appreciated and, oftentimes, rewarded,” said Catalin Alexandru Chitu, Game Producer. “When our players pointed out their wish of broadening our horizons, we started working on it.”
The team was aware how military-style games traditionally have more male representation in their games, but that didn’t stop them from trying to change the status quo. It rather motivated them to try and promote diversity and inclusion in Sniper Fury even more! Esthee, Game Community Manager, pointed out how Val and Tex’s appearances and styles have changed over the years and said their other characters shouldn’t be exempt from a similar evolution.
Diversity has never looked so good
The artist behind the Commanders was Arif Kurniawan from Gameloft Yogyakarta. When the team approached him with the project, Arif was excited by it and the direction the team wanted to take with the game. Inspiration came easily to Arif, and he came up with multiple ideas for the Commanders, giving the team more than enough options to choose from.
Besides making sure the Commanders represented different backgrounds, the team also wanted the designs expressed strength and elegance. They achieved this by giving the Commanders empowering poses and drawing them in a semi-realistic style to highlight their individual expressions.
Just the beginning
When Sniper Fury revealed the Commanders, the team received lots of positive feedback, especially from their female players who said they felt more represented in the game. “This is the best outcome we could hope for,” said Adrian Lascateu, Game Manager. “We would like players to know that these new characters are an ongoing journey in the process of making Sniper Fury a game where they feel included and well represented. We want them to make their voice heard and ensure they can feel comfortable bringing such topics into discussion.”
Seeing their work appreciated by their community is gratifying, but having their players acknowledge and support their pursuit for more diversity and inclusion in Sniper Fury is the real reward. The team understands its importance, and the Commanders are just a first step in this new direction.
Check out the new Commanders by downloading Sniper Fury today! Also follow them on Facebook and join their Discord server to keep up to date with their latest news!
