For many players, she’ll be a natural selection
The fabulously interesting RTS/FPS hybrid Natural Selection 2 is getting a new playable character this August or September, according to the development blog. Natural Selection 2 pits a host of inventive aliens against a litany of boring humans; though, up until this point, it has only been human males.
Developer Unknown Worlds is living up to a post-launch promise to add a playable woman character, noting, “The creation of finely detailed, high quality 3D models is expensive. … After launch, we knew there were many features we wished to add to the game. We also knew that if [Natural Selection 2] didn’t sell, adding them would be impossible.” However, the game has done quite well for the former mod-making team turned development studio, and so here we finally are.
Unknown Worlds was also firm in its desire to steer away from the industry’s “history of depicting female characters inappropriately,” noting that “Often, they are stylised to such a degree that they become sexual objects,” and emphasizing the practicality of “function before form” while fitting the model cohesively into Natural Selection‘s aesthetic.
There are three versions of the female marine. Special Edition owners can select the Black Armor style, Deluxe Edition owners get the Deluxe Armor, while all players can choose the standard green armored avatar. All three have a unique, new first-person model as well. Cool. Solid news.