Marae, pounamu armour, tekoteko, and other Māori imagery feature prominently in the new Māori-inspired expansion of Path of Exile 2. Some uri Māori in the sector are questioning whether Māori were involved in its creation.
The new chapter, titled The Third Edict, is an add-on to the globally successful online RPG produced by New Zealand company Grinding Gear Games.
In this instalment, players journey across eight “Ngamakanui Islands”, home to the “Karui tribes,” to uncover fragments of an ancient weapon known as the Third Edict.
Māori Partnership and Pathways Manager at CODE NZ, Taikawa Tamati-Elliffe (Ngāi Tahu, Te Ātiawa), says the game raises red flags about consultation with Māori.
“I’m not against this integration of Te Ao Māori in games, as long as the processes are done correctly,” he says.
He adds that the game also missed an opportunity for genuine representation.
“Yes, it’s epic, it’s skux, whatever you want to call it, that our content is there in Path of Exile, representing us. But how much better would it be if it sat right with iwi, hapū, whānau? That it was our reo being implemented, our mātauranga being implemented for the world to consume, to learn about us and our space, where we’re from, who we are, in the most authentic way possible.”
Tamati-Elliffe says that without cultural grounding, the game’s Māori imagery feels hollow.
“There’s nothing behind it. There’s no essence to it. So, what do those carvings mean?” he says.
“There is room to be creative and use Māori content and te reo Māori, but it needs to make sense from a Te Ao Māori perspective.”
A familiar face from the Modern Māori Quartet, Maaka Pohatu (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), voices the main character and final boss, Tavakai. He says he enjoyed working with Grinding Gear Games and was proud of the final product, but shared similar concerns.
“Personally, I think it is really, really cool, but the Māori in me definitely wanted somebody in that kind of cultural safety protocol,” he says.
“All of these characters in this world were so fantastical, obviously heavily Māori-inspired. On one hand, it gave them the freedom to create a fantastical world. But on the other hand, it meant they didn’t necessarily have to bring in or pay a Māori consultant, and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
According to Māori data and AI expert Dr Karaitiana Taiuru (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa), these concerns reflect wider issues, including the risk of Māori imagery being copyrighted by non-Māori creators.
“Gamers say, ‘But it’s a game, it’s all fantasy, it’s not real. Why are you worried about that?’ It’s our role to educate gamers that this is actually offensive and can cause harm. It also takes money out of professionals’ pockets when their work is essentially being stolen,” says Taiuru.
“Their lawyers are saying, yep, it doesn’t breach the Copyright Act, because it’s unlikely Māori will be able to claim breaches of intellectual property. Indigenous peoples have collective rights to intellectual property, but the law only recognises individual rights.”
Despite repeated requests for comment, Grinding Gear Games did not respond to questions from Te Ao Māori News about how Māori were involved in the game’s development or design.
Tamati-Elliffe says he hopes gaming companies that use Te Ao Māori will create genuine pathways for Māori in the future.
“There’s a barrier to entry into the games industry for Māori. And it’s not because the industry isn’t willing, it’s more that the upfront cost to even get into the industry is very high,” says Tamati-Elliffe.
“By being included in this way, we can bridge the digital divide for whānau.”
