That Awful Forspoken Ad Reflects The All-Consuming “Jossification” Of Video Games

A young heroine from the upcoming game Forspoken flies across empty fields, hadkens bad guys into pillars of ash, and quips all the way. “So let’s get this clear…” she begins, adopting the sarcastic, derisive tone of so many modern pop culture heroes. Throw in a few ‘kill’ and you have an internet meme in no time.

It didn’t take long for people to start making jokes at the expense of advertising. The content creator and voice actor, ProZD, was one of the first companies to get into action.

Bloodborne PSX’s FunnyWes put together a fun take on FromSoftware’s favorite game.

My personal favorite is the Tony Hawk-themed contribution by BobVids.

All in all, we are tempted to laugh at these ridiculous memes and get on with our lives. After all, the gaming community will find something new and embarrassing in the next few days. Also, the game is still in the oven, so I don’t know if this ad reflects the final product. It speaks to a bigger problem in game production. I am referring to the subjectYoshiification’ has become a staple of the game, especially in the triple-A realm.

If you’ve played a lot of video games, you’ve noticed that the tone and character writing of big-budget blockbusters in recent years are very similar. Or, to put it in a less charitable way, there’s a keen sense that many games settle for generics instead of really differentiating them from the rest of the pack. We settled on the sarcasm and sarcasm-filled malaise that Joss Whedon first popularized on shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.

For example, compare the following Saints Row and delayed Arkane-exclusive Redfall reveal trailers to each from about a year ago. Despite their vastly different genres and overall presentation, the two games share an eerily similar tone, with witty banter, out-of-context elements, visual gags and, of course, plenty of quips. is full of “Sleep well,” says the Brave Sniper before punching five vampires. “Hmm, that’s unprofessional,” joked one of our lovable losers after learning that the gang they were trying to rob had shot an arms dealer delivering the goods.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with injecting levity into your game. At its core, video games are often silly, and well-timed humor goes a long way in polishing some of the troubling aspects of a lengthy campaign. (And these he, to be fair to the two games, both show far better writing than cursed Forspoken ads.) But these days, all games have the exact same sense of humor. I feel like I have Ridiculous, but not ridiculous. Unscrupulous, but never invasive. It’s not exactly clear what the purpose of these punch lines is, other than perhaps the notion that someone is taking something seriously.

Backlash to this kind of snarky, snotty writing style has long been brewing in parts of the internet, especially in the film community. I’m here.

The phrase has become a clichéd shorthand for certain people to attribute to the MCU, despite the fact that it doesn’t appear to actually appear in the actual Marvel movies. It’s the essential spirit of Joss Whedon, writer and director of The Avengers. Whatever happens, you can make a silly referential joke at the expense of it and instantly drown out all the dramatic tension. (For the record, someone actually says “He’s right behind me, right?” in Thor: Love and Thunder. That’s Taika Waititi for you.)

Whether you enjoy this style of writing ultimately comes down to personal preference. Still, even if you love something, that love has its limits. No one wants pizza with every meal. For me, the main problem with always resorting to Whedon-esque cynicism is that it robs all betting situations. Flatten to “yours”.Featured horror writer Gretchen Felker-Martin recently described Whedon’s style as “rolling your eyes into the most profound visions of ecstasy and terror the universe has to offer,” and we think that’s a great way to put it.

Perhaps the most interesting case study in the ongoing industry jossification came in 2018 when Destiny 2 killed off fan favorite Exo Cayde-6 in the expansion Forsaken. Cayde-6, frequently voiced by his Whedon collaborator Nathan Fillion, played a role in embodying the game’s lighthearted writing style. Cade’s death was taken by many fans as a shift to a more serious style, in keeping with the game’s heavy lore and deeper themes. At Destiny 2’s launch, Cayde-6’s sense of humor came to the fore, leading to a more hilarious tone shift not all fans appreciated. This move allowed Destiny to explore more thoughtful areas focused on trauma. ghost seasonNo matter how you look at it, it was certainly interesting to see a popular video game developer take back the concept of idle sarcasm and punch two holes in its head.

Overall, I don’t think video game writers should strive to launch a new wave of hard serious conversations. But I wish there were more well-written humor-focused indie-inspired games like Disco Elysium, Hades, and even He Cruelty Squad. Disco Elysium’s novel take on giving each character’s emotion its own voice, along with its surreal tendencies, stand out in space. Cruelty Squad depicts an absurd and ugly world torn apart by capitalism. Hades has his fair share of Tumblr-esque quips, but each of its memorable characters has such strong voices and personalities that they’re able to land successfully.

Not every game needs an award-winning script, but a little variety in tone, genre, and humor goes a long way. This is a big reason why The Witcher 3 is a great RPG, and I hope some developers can learn from its example. This line of his Forspoken ad may have drawn the ire of some online jokers, but there’s nothing particularly wrong or offensive about it. Whedon-esque writing was cutting-edge and fresh at the time, but over time it can look generic and mundane without proper treatment.

Regardless of how developers feel about this style, it’s clear that a good chunk of the public is ready to make fun of its excesses from time to time. The one-liners need to be sharper as they come for you.

The real tragedy of this debacle is that, at least by the standards of today’s big-budget open-world games, Forsaken’s visuals in advertising look pretty compelling: vibrant movement options, satisfying combat. If only Square Enix had uploaded a version without sound.