Platform: Windows, Steam, XBox One, PlayStation 4
Genre: Action RPG
Publisher: Grinding Gear Games
Developer: Grinding Gear Games
Notes: Path of Exile features several entities - the Karui Gods - who appear to have been influenced by or adapted from Māori culture. Names of characters include Tawhoa, Ramako, Ngamahu, Hinekora, Arohongui, and Tukohama - all names clearly adapted from Māori. The game also prominently features Māori art and carvings, including copying Pa, hei tiki, taniko, kakahu, and even rewriting whakatauki as “Karui proverbs”. This franchise has proven so popular, there’s even a comic book - I’ve included a panel below and there is no disputing where the inspiration for that came from. Path of Exile was created by Auckland-based Grinding Gear Games; the company has since been acquired by a Chinese company called Tencent. Grinding Gear Games’ founders are Chris Wilson, Erik Olofsson, and Jonathan Rogers - Wilson and Rogers are of New Zealand descent, and Rogers affiliates to the Ngāti Raukawa iwi. One of the characters, “The Marauder”, is voiced by Damien Caine/Tauri, who may also be of Māori descent.
Overall Rating: Path of Exile is free-to-play and seems to be very successful, but there’s a lot of “violent savage” imagery going on here as well. This forum thread has some mixed perceptions of how this game was influenced by Māori, and it might clear things up if the creators were a bit more forthcoming about their intent and sources. A member of the Digital Natives Academy did reach out to let me know that Jonathan is a Māori game developer, which is great to hear and adds valuable context to this game.
Images: Path of Exile Wiki (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), View Comic