Swedish pro skier Matilda Rapaport has been tragically killed in Chile while shooting footage in the Andes forSteep, Ubisoft’s new extreme sports franchise.
Disaster has struck a filming session for Ubisoft’s upcoming extreme sports game,Steep. It’s been announced that Swedish pro skier Matilda Rapaport has died, after she was caught in an avalanche by the resort town of Farellone, Chile on July 14.
Rapaport was transported to a nearby hospital, where she would remain in a coma for the next four days. It was announced on July 18 that the 30-year-old athlete had passed away as a result of oxygen deprivation and brain damage, according to a report fromPolygon.
We don’t know exactly what sort of footage Rapaport was involved with filming forSteep. However, given that the game is only a matter of months away from itsscheduled release date, it seems likely that the shoot was intended to provide advertising materials to support the game’s launch.
While this tragic accident took place in the Andes,Steepis set in the Alps. Combined with the fact that the game is likely nearing the very end of its development process, it seems unlikely that the footage of Rapaport would have been included in the title itself.
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Steepwas announced at this year’s E3, and is amultiplayer-centric open world gamefeaturing skiing, snowboarding, wingsuit flying and paragliding. Ubisoft has already shown off the notable presence that action camera brand GoPro has in the game.
Rapaport was filming with a GoPro at the time of her accident, which suggests that the footage she was collecting was intended to promote this feature. There’s currently no indication that Ubisoft plans to remove or diminish this element of the game as a result of recent events.
Ubisoft has released a statement on the death of the remarkable athlete, offering sympathies to her husband and extended family, as per reporting fromGamespot. “Matilda’s courage, passion, and desire to share the sport she loved with the world served as an inspiration for other athletes and for us all,” said the studio.
Steeplooks set to give players a taste of the extreme sports lifestyle from the comfort of their living room — but an accident like this should demonstrate just how dangerous the slopes can be, even for a seasoned professional.
Steepis scheduled to release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in December 2016.
