Latin American Heritage Month - How Developers Brought Authenticity to Far Cry 6

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The yearly celebration of Latin American Heritage Month, also known as Hispanic Heritage Month, is celebrated in both Canada and the United States - where it begins on September 15 and ends October 15, on and near Independence Day anniversaries for several Latin American countries. To celebrate, we spoke to two Latin Far Cry 6 developers on how they channeled their culture through their work.

While the world of Yara in Far Cry 6 may have been fictional; its authentic Latin American sensibilities are not. From the color palette to the soundscape, everything was designed to be as accurate to something you would find on a Caribbean nation as possible.

For two Latine Ubisoft Toronto developers who worked on the game, this focus on authenticity was particularly meaningful. Audio Director Eduardo Vaisman drew upon his childhood in Argentina to create the audio for Far Cry 6, while 3D Team Lead Programmer Stephanie Brenham saw parallels in its story with stories in her mothers’ life. Working on Far Cry 6 felt like an uncanny convergence of the pair’s personal and professional lives; an experience that in tandem was filtered through, and spoke directly to, their Latin American identities.

Vaisman grew up during the 1976-1983 Argentine dictatorship. He recalls living in a constant state of tension, where talking about politics with his family was too dangerous, and music by Cuban musicians was played on bootleg cassette tapes at the lowest volume.

Parts of these memories are reflected in Far Cry 6’s sound design. The military propaganda you can hear on the radios are directly inspired by the "comunicados" the Argentine government fed the population at the time, while the military marches were also inspired by those he heard in