Just when it seems like everything is shifting, gamers can always turn to some of Sony’s biggest IPs for a diversity, equity, and inclusion fix.
Take 007: First Light. With a release set for March 2026, the new Bond game features over-the-top, extreme-DEI casting that is impossible to miss.
Given its already-worrying history, it’s hard to believe Insomniac and Sony’s Wolverine won’t be biting at Bond’s heels for most woke game of the year when it drops in Q3/Q4 of 2026.
Sony released a new trailer for the hack-n-slash game last week, which in its best form will be a story-driven and action-packed adventure with light RPG elements. However, it could also turn out to be Spider-Man tier DEI and gameplay, with Uncharted’s propensity for interactive cutscenes.
But, now that EA is going private, the march toward normalcy seems to be well underway. This begs the question: Will Sony start to stray away from the cult on Wolverine, or does beast still need feeding?
The Sweet Baby Inc. Defense
In March 2024, Insomniac Games associate narrative director Mary Kenney wrote a mammoth 12-post thread in defense of Sweet Baby Inc., calling the consultancy group “one of the finest in the biz.”
As That Park Place reported at the time, Kenney shared an outrageously-generous breakdown of what DEI consultancy firms do for games, boiling it down to telling developers how black people speak and dress, for example.
Kenney then continued the narrative, adding her own attempt at youthful vernacular, saying that studios might reach out to consultants if:
“A character feels underbaked. Maybe a whole faction. The backstory of a map has weaksauce worldbuilding, and no one on the team has time to do the research & brainstorming to make it cool.”
The writer added the usual claims that consultancy groups simply give ideas, notes, and ultimately do not have a final say in a game. However, no matter how much SBI has overhauled its website to eliminate its obvious DEI motives — and it has — the internet is indeed forever.
We Remember
SBI previously referred to itself as a “inclusion-focused narrative and consultation company.”
Also in 2024, SBI said its process includes a “multitude of perspectives” while bringing in “diverse voices to solve diverse problems.” The website used to say that SBI provides “Cultural Consultation, Sensitivity And Inclusivity Reading, Risk and Opportunities Assessment, and more.”
Alas, it no longer says this.
Gamers remember that SBI founder, Kim Belair, told Marketplace in 2021 her company was created as a place for women, “marginalized identities,” and those who “don’t have a place.”
Will Wolverine turn over a new leaf and get rid of the dollar-burning narratives that gamers have seen the last two years? Or is Insomniac simply going to pretend these themes aren’t in place until launch day?
Kenney has since deleted (or changed) her X and BlueSky pages; but as of early September she is still writing video games.
