Here at PAX East 2010, we were able to take a minute and speak with Lead Systems Designer, Matthew MacLean, for Obsidian Entertainment after being shown Alpha Protocol. Thus far, it has been revealed that the protagonist in Alpha Protocol is a male spy named Michael Thorton. When asked about the early stages of development and whether or not they wanted to allow players to create a female protagonist, MacLean replied, “Absolutely.” He continued to explain that if they had the money and resources, they would have wanted to include the option. MacLean discussed the work involved in creating the “painstaking cinematic sequences” in the game and the amount of voice acting that was required for all of the dialog. It turns out that the choice of not allowing the player to create a female lead came down to not having enough money to hire a female voice actor.
It looks like Agent Thorton’s sexual orientation is also set in stone, but for different reasons. We also asked MacLean about homosexual romance scenes. He told us that they wanted to make Alpha Protocol in such a way that would mimic what you would expect to see when you go see a spy flick. And since we never see James Bond or Jason Bourne get involved in homosexual scenes in their movies, players won’t have full freedom to choose how their sexual exploits go down.
Vision and budget: 1, inclusionary practices: 0.
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