BioWare Issues Apology Over Insensitive Handling of Transgender Character

Last week, BioWare shared a non-exhaustive list of the known issues affecting Mass Effect: Andromeda in terms of performance, missions and general gameplay. The company has also been subject to criticism regarding poor character customisation and facial animations, which lead designer Ian S. Frazier has responded to by assuring fans there might be a potential fix down the road. Earlier today, BioWare tweeted an apology over a different matter entirely – the unrealistic representation of NPC Hainly Abrams.

Regarding Hainly Abrams: pic.twitter.com/nFpUKihqOj

— BioWare (@bioware) April 5, 2017

The problem, according to Eurogamer, stems from players’ initial encounter with Abrams. When asked why she left for the Andromeda galaxy, her response is as follows:

“Back home, I was filling test tubes in some dead-end lab. People knew me as Stephan. But that was never who I was. I knew what I could do and I knew who I wanted to do it as. ‘Hainly Abrams, Andromeda Explorer’. That’s me. Feels good. Feels right.”

BioWare acknowledged that her (Abrams) disclosure of the name assigned to her before her transition, sometimes referred to as a ‘dead name’ in the transgender community, is a potentially sensitive matter and can be a “painful reminder” of “a period of their life filled with great distress” (via Eurogamer). What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments.