Two in-game podcasts featuring British journalist Helen Lewis in Watch Dogs: Legion have been removed as a result of "controversial" statements she made in the past. Ubisoft said it was not informed of Lewis' past remarks until after the game's development was complete.

"Neither Ubisoft nor the game reflects this journalist's perspective. The development team worked with an outside producer to select the profiles of the performers for these podcasts and was not aware of this controversy at the time of booking or recording."

"While the in-game podcasters follow a pre-approved script and are not speaking in their own name or with their own opinions, we understand that this collaboration itself could be seen as potentially offensive, and we deeply regret that this has happened. In response, we will be replacing these two podcast episodes in a future update and will be increasing background checks on our partners in the future."

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Ubisoft has not stated which of Lewis' statements it considers "controversial," but Jezebel (via Kotaku) noted last year that she has expressed opposition to expanding transgender rights. For example, in a 2017 opinion piece criticizing changes in British law aimed at simplifying the process of changing one's legally recognized gender, she wrote In this climate, who would object to a bearded man exposing his penis in a women's changing room?"

This statement is a common refrain among opponents of trans rights: that men impersonate women for the sole purpose of entering women's locker rooms and bathrooms.

As the Center for Transgender Equality in the United States points out, this supposed fear has no basis. "In hundreds of cities, school districts, and 18 states, the right of transgender people to use restrooms is already protected.

Lewis has stated in the past that she believes "trans women are women and trans men are men," but maintains what she calls "concerns about self-identification and its impact on the single-sex space."

These are contradictory positions, Jezebel says. The site writes, "Lewis regularly complains about being lumped in with TERFs [trans-exclusionary radical feminists] despite her self-proclaimed support for trans rights, and with good reason."

"Her thinking is largely consistent with and ideologically supportive of the ideas that have been used to restrict transgender rights.

The swift response comes amid a self-declared effort by Ubisoft, which has faced intense criticism this year over allegations of widespread sexual misconduct and abusive behavior, to change its corporate culture. Ubisoft has not said when Lewis' removal from "Watch Dogs: Legion" will take place.