It's no secret among gamers that video games are an effective medium for story telling, and this truth has become more widely accepted over the past several years as more and more major talent from other entertainment outlets have become involved with game development. The latest news in major writing talents working on an upcoming game is that authors Don Winslow and Shane Salerno have come up with a cartel themed narrative for the upcoming Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. Below is the press release put out by Ubisoft that goes into more detail about the writers's involvement with the game and why it is significant. A few weeks ago Hardcore Gamer got to spend some time with getting acquainted with a work in progress version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, and a recap of our impression can be read here.
"SAN FRANCISCO — February 10, 2017 — Today, Ubisoft announced that the writing duo of New York Times bestselling authors Don Winslow and Shane Salerno have teamed up with Ubisoft to create the cartel-themed narrative for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. Winslow is the award-winning and #1 internationally bestselling novelist of The Cartel, The Power of the Dog and Savages. Salerno is one of the most sought-after writers in the film industry. He is currently working with Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron on four separate sequels to Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, and writing and producing The Cartel (an adaptation of Don Winslow’s novel) for master filmmaker Ridley Scott. He also co-wrote the film Savages with Don Winslow and three-time Oscar-winner Oliver Stone, and Armageddon for director Michael Bay.
“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands presents a first for the series with our massive open world that can be explored freely. With this amount of freedom, we wanted to bring in top talent to create a believable cartel organization and story,” said Nouredine Abboud, senior producer, Ubisoft. “As fans of their work, we knew that Don Winslow and Shane Salerno would be the perfect team to help us keep the game rooted in reality while keeping the game’s core entertainment experience.”
Winslow and Salerno offered their knowledge of the international drug trade and their skills in storytelling to create an authentic drug-cartel narrative to unfold for players when Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands launches on March 7, 2017.
“I’ve written about drug cartels for more than twenty years and together with my writing partner Shane Salerno have brought that knowledge to the story, scenes, characters and dialogue found in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands,” Winslow said.
Winslow and Salerno worked closely with the narrative team at Ubisoft Paris to help create the narrative of Ghost Recon Wildlands by expanding on the series’ “what if” scenario that sees a Mexican drug cartel take over near-future in-game Bolivia and turn it into a narco-state. Their previous research and writing experiences across two decades allowed them to help the development team establish a grounded storyline inspired by real life events, a believable criminal organization for the fictional Santa Blanca Cartel, and assist in creating the in-depth backstories for key in-game characters, including the boss, El Sueño, the heads of operation that players will interact with, and core elements of the special forces “ghosts” that will hunt them down.
“I’ve been a Tom Clancy fan ever since I first read The Hunt For Red October,” Salerno said. "It was a real thrill to work on this game with the team at Ubisoft, who are incredibly passionate and committed to delivering the best gaming experience possible for fans.”
Fans looking to get a closer look at Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and the Santa Blanca cartel before the game’s launch, can watch the debut of Ubisoft’s live-action promotional video, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands: War Within the Cartel, on Ubisoft’s Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/Ubisoft) on February 16. To RSVP for the livestream premiere of War Within the Cartel, please visit ghostrecon.com/rsvp.
Set in the largest action-adventure open world ever created by Ubisoft, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands takes place in Bolivia a few years from now, as the country has been turned by the vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel into a narco-state. Players are tasked with eliminating the cartel by any means necessary. The massive and responsive open world encourages a variety of playstyles, allowing players the freedom to choose how they execute any and all missions. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands will be available on consoles and PC on March 7.
For more information about Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, please visit www.ghostrecon.com.
ABOUT DON WINSLOW:
An internationally-recognized expert on the drug trade, Don Winslow has written about the topic for twenty years. In the course of his research he has spoken with drug traffickers, hit men, police officers, drug agents, defense lawyers, prosecutors, addicts, convicts and their families. His work has taken him to Mexican barrios, on the border, in prisons, and with police drug units operating in inner city ghettos. Journalists in Latin America, cops in the United States, even former and current cartel members have said that ‘Winslow gets it right’. His novels about the Mexican drug cartels, The Power of the Dog and The Cartel, are used as textbooks by law enforcement agencies worldwide, and he serves as a consultant to several police departments. His novel Savages was adapted to film by three-time Oscar-winner Oliver Stone. He has won major literary awards all over the world and is a #1 internationally bestselling novelist. Winslow has written columns and articles on the drug trade for CNN, FoxNews, The Daily Beast, Esquire and numerous newspapers, as well as appearing on many radio and television programs, including Bill O’Reilly, Charlie Rose, the Today Show and CBS This Morning. He is currently writing his third book about the cartel.
ABOUT SHANE SALERNO:
New York Times bestselling author Shane Salerno is also one of the most sought after screenwriter-producers in Hollywood. He is currently working with Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron on four separate sequels to Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time. He has written films for the most celebrated filmmakers in the world, including James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, William Friedkin, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, and Michael Bay. His knowledge of drug cartels is extensive. He co-wrote the critically acclaimed film Savages (with Don Winslow and Oliver Stone, based on Winslow’s acclaimed novel) and serves as the writer and producer of The Cartel, the film adaptation of Don Winslow's novel for Twentieth Century Fox, which Ridley Scott is directing this year for release in 2018. He has spent years interviewing major drug traffickers and the undercover DEA agents that convicted them, federal prosecutors, FBI agents, local and federal police in Mexico and throughout South America, border patrol agents and police detectives and officers all over the world. Salerno's deep dive into the world of drug trafficking began twenty years ago when he worked with four-time Oscar-nominated director Michael Mann on an unproduced drug epic called The Border. At the age of 24, he co-wrote Armageddon and later directed and produced the documentary film Salinger. He is also a New York Times bestselling author, having co-written Salinger (with David Shields). The book was also a #1 national bestseller.
About Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands
Launched in 2001 with critical acclaim from fans of the Tom Clancy’s world, the Ghost Recon franchise has since convinced 25 million players thanks to breakthrough releases and has become the best-selling Tom Clancy’s brand on the last generation of consoles and PC. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands brings the franchise to the next level with an episode designed from the ground up for a new generation, featuring a massive and visually stunning open world, playable for the first time online in four-player co-op."