Given that the Alien film series has always featured strong female roles (including Ellen Ripley, Private Vasquez or Dr. Elizabeth Shaw in Prometheus), it seemed not only sexist but basically wrong when Aliens: Colonial Marines producer Brian Burleson announced there would be no female characters in the multiplayer portion of the game. After a major online petition, signed by over 4,000 people including several associated with the Aliens film, it finally caught the attention of Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.
Speaking to Eurogamer at this weekend’s PAX Prime, the company’s head honcho revealed that the co-op mode and online multiplayer will both feature at least one playable female character. The company released artwork of the co-op character, Private Jennifer Running, a fiery, short-haired redhead. Whether she was created after the petition, or existed all along and was only revealed early because of the outcry, we will never really know.
While it is a great result for female gamers, or those males who wish to get it touch with their female roots, should we really have been having this discussion over a game set in the Aliens universe? What do you think, readers?
