New footage of upcoming ‘bodycam FPS’ Unrecord is leading to a lot of debate between fans, as it’s hard to tell exactly what this footage actually is.
The footage depicts a man entering a warehouse, entering into shootouts with other people. It ends with him entering a second storey room, asking someone in a closed room where Oscar is, only to be hit with a sudden explosion.
French game studio Drama seemingly shadow dropped the trailer with few details, leading observers to question if this is real video footage being passed off as computer graphics.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, a parallel conversation is going on, as the footage is so real that it can be interpreted to be genuine snuff footage. There is also speculation the player is playing a cop. While the trailer does not actually explicitly state that that is the case, if that is what the game is about, the game would be an exceedingly strong endorsement of police violence.
However, we can drop some of the speculation, as Drama have shared a new update on the game’s Steam page to address these questions.
First things first, Drama said this about the authenticity of the game:
“The game is developed on Unreal Engine 5, and the game footage is captured from an executable and played using a keyboard and mouse. It is not a VR game.”
In regards to the other controversy, Drama had this to say:
“As a French studio addressing a global audience, the game does not engage in any foreign policy and is not inspired by any real-life events. The game will obviously avoid any undesirable topics such as discrimination, racism, violence against women and minorities. The game will have no biased or Manichaean take on criminal acts and police violence. We also respect and understand people who may feel disturbed by the game’s images. Art cannot fight against interpretation.”
Drama still won’t be talking about the actual game story or other details to curtail spoilers. There are also evasive on other details for now, such as a release date or platforms other than PC.
Assuming good faith on the side of Drama, it is reasonable to be skeptical on the matter of the game and the legitimacy of the footage.
We reported on The Day Before ourselves, and the growing skepticism surrounding the game. That coverage prompted studio FNTASTIC to share new trailers and development footage. While the product as it appears now doesn’t look like the initial trailer, FNTASTIC at least proved that there is a real game in development.
But some fans feel cheated and disappointed because of the change in The Day Before’s visuals, and they have every right to that.
While we wish the best for smaller game studios in wanting to enter the industry, we don’t just function as unpaid promotions for them. We also have to be watchdogs for gamers, who are consumers. That includes keeping an eye out for misleading claims, and that’s true for big and small game companies alike.
We look forward to Drama proving their doubters wrong in the coming months and years, with diligent continuing updates on their game Unrecord. In the meantime, you can watch the trailer below and decide for yourself:
