Rise and Fall asks the question: Can Civilization VI become something it’s not?

The announcement that Civilization VI’s Rise and Fall expansion would include the leader Poundmaker of the Cree should have been cause for celebration. The Cree are worthy candidates: They’re the first geographically Canadian civ to be included, and Poundmaker himself is both a fascinating figure historically and a gorgeous, subtle in-game model. There was just one slight problem: The Cree, or at least, one of their spokespeople, found the idea offensive.

Such criticism from outside sources doesn’t always take into account the nature of the games being discussed, but that’s not the case here. Said Poundmaker Cree Nation Headman Milton Tootoosis: “It perpetuates this myth that First Nations had similar values that the colonial culture has, and that is one of conquering other peoples and accessing their land.” Tootoosis is incisively cutting to one of the core tensions of modern Civilization: It is a series about aggressive expansion that is attempting to be more inclusive of peoples and civilizations who were not aggressively expansionist, and that’s causing some issues.