Valiant Hearts : Coming Home was released in January 2023. This is the first Ubisoft Mobile game to be published on Netflix. It tells the story of war heroes. Some of them are part of the 369th Regiment, also called the Harlem Hellfighters.
One of the biggest strength of Valiant Hearts relies on its accuracy regarding historical content. Early in the production process the team in Montpellier worked a lot to find the right experts to share the real story of the Harlem Hellfighters to the world. They were convinced that being accurate and consistent would give to their game a richer layer and would enhance the feeling of closeness with the players. To tackle the historical accuracy they worked with Alexandre Lafon, Historian and to give a deep storyline they worked with Dylan C. Brown, writer for TV shows and Audio fictions.
At the end of Summer 2022, Mickael Newton from Ubisoft Charity and Sponsorship team heard about the project for the first time. A game telling the story of African American and Puerto Rican soldiers, he was all in! He then deployed great efforts to help the team in showing the unknown about the Harlem Hellfighters and the fact that they brought Jazz in Europe with them. He was the first one to contact Stephany B. Neal.
Stephany B. Neal founded the 369th experience to honor the 369th Regiment (Harlem Hellfighters) and to preserve its legacy.
Stephany helped the Montpellier team to connect with Dr. Jonh H. Morrow Jr. As an american historian from the University of Georgia, specialized in the Great War and the uncharted stories of the Harlem Hellfighters, he helped the team in creating additional content while ensuring the accuracy of the game. Stephany’s contribution was significant also to strengthen the relationship with Jason Moran who wrote a few tunes for Valiant Hearts: Coming Home.
On June 30th, we had the chance to welcome Stephany and a part of the band at Ubisoft. We organized a few presentations about what the Charity department is doing, how Ubisoft Music is working and we had roundtable to come back on the collaboration between Montpellier teams and 369th Experience. We ended with a dedicated time to discuss and ask questions.
On Monday, July 3rd, we had the opportunity to join a special concert organized by ONACVG (Office National des Anciens Combattants et de Victimes de Guerre) in the garden of the Military Governor of Paris in the Invalides. The band played different music from the Harlem Hellfighters and some music written by Jason Moran for Valiant Hearts.
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