Dustborn: ‘No-one forced us to make a game with a diverse cast’

Previews of Dustborn have praised its cartoon-style visuals and gameplay that mashes up several different genres.

Characters are at the heart of the game, and its diverse main cast has drawn a fair amount of attention.

It includes Pax’s lover Noam, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, Sai, a Muslim, and Pax’s younger sister Ziggy, who deals with anxiety and hyperactivity.

When it was first revealed, Dustborn was hit with some negative feedback from those who believe developers are being pressured into making their games more diverse.

Ragnar Tørnquist, creative director at developer Red Thread Games, insists that isn’t the case.

“I think publishers and developers are just understanding more that there’s a wider and more diverse audience out there,” he says.

“Games are becoming more global, games are becoming more accessible to everyone.

“And that means the audience changes.”

Ragnar says he understands why people might push back, “especially if you’re the kind of player who’s used to seeing yourself on the screen.”

But he says there’s room for games that feature casts, stories and perspectives we’re less used to seeing.

“We’re just making one game that will hopefully find an audience.

“Maybe it’s a different audience, and I think we can afford to be different,” he says.