From the moment that first artwork arrived showing the white, nationalist cult/militia bad guys, we just knew Far Cry 5 would face controversy. A few days ago, a Change.org petition called 'Cancel Far Cry 5' went up. The racist nature of the piece has garnered a lot of attention, but the whole thing is almost certainly a satirical hoax.

Like the previous Far Cry games, this open world shooter sees the player face off against some angry locals. But unlike the earlier titles, which are set in exotic locations like the Himalayas and Africa, this fifth entry takes place in the US state of Montana. Portraying gun-loving pseudo-Christians as the bad guys hasn't gone down well with certain people, so hearing that a petition had been started by what appeared to be far-right conservatives wasn't all that surprising.

Reading the first few lines, the hateful rantings look real enough. It uses terms like degenerates and miscegenators, and even mentions Gamergate. But when listing the "crap" that gamers have had to endure over the years, the author includes: "the continued rejection of romantic partners when they find out our hobby." The next paragraph references that great philosopher, Boltaire (yes, Boltaire), which seems like more than just a typo. Moreover, the quote itself is probably not from Voltaire, but from white supremacist Kevin Alfred Strom.

There are also suggestions to change the setting to Canada, the antagonists to "inner city gangs" or Muslims, and throw some "blacks" or "Mexicans" in with the bad guys, along with threats of "violent repercussions" to Ubisoft if they fail to change the game.

While there are plenty of people who hold these sort of racist beliefs and aren't afraid to express them, it's very hard to believe that this petition came from such a person.

Interestingly, Ubisoft has since released an expanded version of the original poster (top) showing a black member of the cult (sitting second from right).