A new ad for The Division 2 has the Mexican government declare a state of emergency, build a wall on the US-Mexico border, and bar US citizens from entering the country. Doubtless few would disagree that the Division 2 Mexico ad is a little on the nose for a game supposedly absent of politics.
The official Twitter account for The Division 2 tweeted out the ad earlier today. The tweet reads, “THIS JUST IN. Mexico responds to the deteriorating situation in the US.” A press release from the game’s Mexican government is attached.
That’s a lot of politics for a game that began its PR campaign by telling Polygon that it “is not making any political statements.” The game has come under fire from some critics for toeing the line when it comes to politics and the developers’ unwillingness to play it straight. The Division 2 puts players in the boots of government paramilitary agents attempting to re-establish governmental control in the United State’s capital, Washington DC. At the same time, Massive Entertainment and publisher Ubisoft have both said the game isn’t political and used real-world politics to advertise the game.
This Division 2 Mexico ad uses the long-running campaign promise of President Donald Trump to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to advertise the game. President Trump recently made the controversial move to declare a national emergency in order to build the wall he originally said Mexico would pay for. The ad also brings up images of the “migrant caravans” that were traveling from Latin American countries to the US-Mexico border last year.
The Division 2 Mexico ad also suggests that Mexican forces will “do what they believe is best” to secure the border. United States Border Patrol and US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have come under fire for family separations, allegations of sexual abuse, and terrorizing immigrants while operating with little oversight.
Making light of serious problems that have caused children to die is exactly the kind of advertisement a supposedly apolitical game like The Division 2 should not have. And yet, here we are.
