Developer Dan Vondrak confirmed the intent was to avoid excluding players and to implement they/them alongside he/she changes. This modern identity feature is layered onto a 1980s Cold War setting without narrative justification tied to the era or lore.

The core story remains a traditional geopolitical thriller involving established characters like Alex Mason, Frank Woods, Russell Adler, and historical figures such as Reagan, with no romance systems, queer focal relationships, or systemic oppression themes driving the plot. Casting and other characters follow standard military archetypes with no forced swaps.

Reception shows a critic-audience gap (Metacritic 76 vs. user scores around 5.7 or lower), with some pre-release criticism of the gender options as ham-fisted representation, though player complaints centered more on bugs and multiplayer. No developer DEI consultancy ties or broader narrative rewrites were found.