South of Midnight developers have described Hazel’s identity as a Black woman as a deliberate part of the game’s creative work—not a blank avatar or a claim that one character can represent everyone. After the game drew hostile attention over its inclusion and alleged consultancy ties, Compulsion Games general manager Delilah Robinson said her priority was supporting and protecting the team. The interviews document the developers’ perspectives and the reported harassment; they do not substantiate claims that Hazel was “race-swapped” or that a consultancy dictated the game’s creative decisions.
Why the team made Hazel a Black woman protagonist
In a June 2023 interview with Xbox Wire, Compulsion team member James Lewis called the choice unusual for a game of this scale: “I think seeing a Black woman as a protagonist, unfortunately, is still pretty unique for video games, especially of this scope.” He said limited representation can place pressure on a single character to stand for an entire culture. The team, he said, approached Hazel’s voice with curiosity and empathy, and having Black women and women of colour on the narrative team was key to understanding and writing her.
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The interview presents Hazel as a specific person shaped by her relationship with her mother, her failures and social injustice—not as a stand-in for every Black woman. Its setting is a fantastical Deep South, drawing on Southern Gothic and on European, Caribbean and African storytelling traditions. Creative director David Sears described it as “a magically real place, much like the actual South.”
How Zaire Lanier described Hazel and the pressure of representation
In a February 2025 interview with Windows Central, narrative lead Zaire Lanier described Hazel’s kindness and empathy as intentional choices. “I think that kind of representation matters; the kind of character Hazel is matters; she’s kind, she’s empathetic, she’s brave. I think that’s really cool.” Lanier said she did not want Hazel to become jaded, and that it meant a lot to her that a young player might cosplay the character. She described the story as empathetic and hopeful, while recognizing that some parts may resonate especially with Black or Southern audiences.
#1 Best Overall
![South of Midnight: Standard Edition - Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ymOISMCrL._SL160_.jpg)
- From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third-person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South.
- As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world.
- When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory-made-real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown.
- Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them.
- Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
Lanier also spoke about the burden she felt writing a game with a Black female lead. In a Deadline interview republished by Yahoo, she said: “You don’t want to necessarily be the representative for Black games. Because they don’t come around very often, it can feel that way sometimes.” She said she was excited to write about people she grew up around, and proud of the game. Player responses describing cultural recognition or learning about a culture mattered to her more than vitriol, she said. Those are Lanier’s personal reflections and examples, not a representative survey of player reactions.
What backlash the studio reported—and how it responded
A Rolling Stone feature syndicated by Yahoo reported that the studio and its community manager faced harassment after the game was targeted over inclusion and alleged ties to a consultancy. The feature characterized the attacks as a hate campaign; that is the report’s description. It is important to distinguish reported harassment from criticism in general, and not to treat every person who questioned the game as having taken part in harassment.
Rank #2
![South of Midnight: Premium Edition - Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lVJzCyLYL._SL160_.jpg)
- Immerse yourself in the macabre world of South of Midnight with the Premium Edition, featuring the full game and digital access (English only) to the Artbook, Music Video: Songs&Tales, and Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey – Director’s Cut."
- From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third-person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South.
- As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world.
- When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory-made-real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown.
- Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them.
Compulsion general manager Delilah Robinson described her response as focused first on staff safety and support: “My number one focus is the team at the studio and making sure that they’re supported and they’re protected because it’s very easy for individuals to get swept up in this.” Robinson said she would have been willing to address criticism made in good faith, but saw little of it in the material she encountered. That is her assessment of her experience, not a measurement of all public criticism. She also described frustration and mutual support within the team.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The interviews and reporting cited here do not establish that Hazel was changed from a previously white character or that an outside consultancy compelled Compulsion to make representational choices. Those claims circulated among critics, but the available developer interviews do not substantiate them.
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How the setting and style relate to the game’s approach
Xbox Wire’s 2023 interview describes the game’s supernatural creatures as drawing on Southern oral traditions shaped by European, Caribbean and African storytelling. It also discusses the team’s use of research and personal knowledge. Hazel’s Weaving powers serve both combat and traversal, connecting the setting to how the player moves through and interacts with the world.
A separate Xbox Wire feature from June 2024 describes the stop-motion-inspired visual style and Hazel’s Weave, Push and Pull abilities. These design choices help explain the game’s presentation, but stylization by itself cannot establish cultural authenticity; the developers’ comments about the writing, influences and team are the more direct account of their creative approach.
Related art-and-music release
In March 2025, Xbox Wire announced a physical South of Midnight art-and-music box set containing a two-LP soundtrack, a 160-page art book and a comic. The announcement also quoted composer Olivier Deriviere describing the musical design: “This game is singing with the player.” It documents what the set was announced to include, not whether it is currently in stock at a particular retailer.
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