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[Plague Doctor]

So wait, 50 devs went outside of GDC to scream like petulant assholes against one Brazilian man's curating group who's whole purpose of being is simply to inform the consumers the very public information that an outside consulting group did indeed work on a game. Something that will be in the credits, websites, etc.

This industry in its mainstream form/cliques is a joke, a fucking joke.

Had I not seen their behavior lately, I'd think this was a lie or parody.

 

[Moriarty1889]

Now, this is interesting to see. Not much thread traction at the moment, but this is something to keep an eye on.

Always a black female as the lead…….that is their trademark as well. Avoid their games like the plague.

 

[Doczu]

Now, this is interesting to see. Not much thread traction at the moment, but this is something to keep an eye on.

Any way to read comments/threads on X without an account?

 

[Mr Moose]

Any way to read comments/threads on X without an account?

Thread by @Grummz on Thread Reader App

@Grummz: Proof Sweet Baby Inc. ruins games: SBI game Flintlock by @a44games has been overrun by woke: "I used to work there. Flintlock was a good project with lots of potential, then it was ruined." 🧵(Con't) Before...…

threadreaderapp.com

 

[Jaybe]

Thread by @Grummz on Thread Reader App

@Grummz: Proof Sweet Baby Inc. ruins games: SBI game Flintlock by @a44games has been overrun by woke: "I used to work there. Flintlock was a good project with lots of potential, then it was ruined." 🧵(Con't) Before...…

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Great site Mr Moose, I’m copying in the text below:

Thread by @Grummz on Thread Reader App​

views

Proof Sweet Baby Inc. ruins games:

SBI game Flintlock by @a44games has been overrun by woke:

"I used to work there. Flintlock was a good project with lots of potential, then it was ruined."

(Con't)
Before I go further, please note this is rumor from a source that seems very knowledgeable about the studios inner workings. Take that as it is. If others would like to verify, please DM me anon.

The CEO and COO at a44 are no longer with the company, but the damage seems to have been done.

The good devs at a44, I tell you how to fix it at the end of this thread.

Did you know the protagonist of Flintlock used to be white?

When COO (and Casting Director) Andrea Topps Harjo joined the studio, her first actions were to change the character to hire Sweet Baby Inc. and change the main character to a PoC.

This marked the beginnings of the problems with the game and studio.
Audrea Topps-Harjo is rumored to have used the company's funds and manpower to power her personal agenda and projects, on initiatives not related to the game or even the studio itself.

One such initiative that I found is InclusionFX, a VFX company and advocacy company with shades of Sweet Baby Inc. Here is the bio from the company.

She held this position at Flintlock at the same time she ran InclusionFX.

I asked and confirmed:

"Yea, I have witnessed our UI artists making art assets for its website as their sprint tasks."

Aside from working with Sweet Baby Inc. and making changes to the game, Audrea also directed numerous changes in HR in her role as COO.

In 2021, most developers were denied raises, and evaluations were postponed for at least 6 months. Audrea told HR to inform anyone who complained or asked questions that the reasons is "Is because I said so."

She also ordered the HR department to HIDE the salaries of the top execs of the company.

HR tried to help, but were unable to get past this. The team was worried about the studio finances.

Meanwhile, the new hires and changes to the game resulted in a project where "These people know nothing about how a video game is made"

After nearly 2 years of these DEI changes at a44, the damage had been done.

At this point the studio was purchased for $175m (an unusually high sum for a small studio, btw) by Kepler Interactive in Sept of 2021, a gaming collective fund whose founder also founded the Kowloon Knights gaming fund.

It was at this point that Audrea, the COO, left the company. Perhaps this was the start of a clean-up of the game's troubles?

The state of the game is unknown at this time, but is believed to be in shambles after this 2 year round of DEI changes.

As we now know, a44 reached out to Kabrutus to refute SBI's involvement, saying they are no longer involved and all their changes reversed.

But when Kabrutus asked for proof, they refused to speak to him any further.

Here is my advice to Kepler and the good folks left holding the bag at a44:

- You reverted the SBI changes. Good! Announce that you have terminated services with SBI and watch your PR soar. Gamers will flock to you. Don't try to hide it.

- Keep your MC a PoC but don't tokenize the character. Make it a great character with quality writing, one we can all love.

- Remove any sermons or preachiness or anti-white, anti-male racism and sexism from the game if it still remains. Don't lecture your audience.

Embrace the gamer, and they will embrace you.

Good luck and my genuine best wishes.

 

[Kacho]

Always a black female as the lead…….that is their trademark as well. Avoid their games like the plague.

That's going to be a big challenge for these studios going forward. They overplayed their hand with the diversity push, so a lot of people will be immediately cynical anytime they see a game with black female lead or whatever. Had it been a more organic transition we wouldn't have reached this point.

 

[Doczu]

Thread by @Grummz on Thread Reader App

@Grummz: Proof Sweet Baby Inc. ruins games: SBI game Flintlock by @a44games has been overrun by woke: "I used to work there. Flintlock was a good project with lots of potential, then it was ruined." 🧵(Con't) Before...…

threadreaderapp.com

A true mvp. Thanks!

Sounds like the Looney Tunes are starting to feel the heat

 

[Sgt.Asher]

It's over guys. They won.

A team from Nintendo came to talk about creating tears of the kingdom and are met with petulant children.

 

[semiconscious]

It's over guys. They won.

how to really appeal to people, gain support & build a movement... not...

when it comes down to it, is the far left really good at fucking anything other than repeatedly shooting itself in the foot?...

 

[KiteGr]

Doing god's work.

 

[STARSBarry]

Just look at this Joker design, you know this is exactly what comic book fans want to see and has nothing to do with any political lobbying group they paid to rewrite their game.

 

[Needlecrash]

it's not mismanagement but straight-up corruption.

Infiltrating HR explains the unhinged hires, too.

That's my first thought too. Breaking all the rules to get your way like this reeks of corruption.

 

[Moneal]

Just look at this Joker design, you know this is exactly what comic book fans want to see and has nothing to do with any political lobbying group they paid to rewrite their game.

that cant be real. this makes shitty fanfiction stuff ive seen look award worthy.

 

[FunkMiller]

Just look at this Joker design, you know this is exactly what comic book fans want to see and has nothing to do with any political lobbying group they paid to rewrite their game.

What in the actual ever loving, titty fucking Jesus Christ's name is that supreme abomination to man, god and bat?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

inclusion FX, WTF?

particles of all colors in magic spells need representation as well, I guess.

 

[Needlecrash]

inclusion FX, WTF?

particles of all colors in magic spells need representation as well, I guess.

Corruption knows no bounds I guess.

 

[gaming_again]

A team from Nintendo came to talk about creating tears of the kingdom and are met with petulant children.

It's embarrassing.

 

[Peroroncino]

Just look at this Joker design, you know this is exactly what comic book fans want to see and has nothing to do with any political lobbying group they paid to rewrite their game.

 

[The Pleasure]

It's over guys. They won.

Did the Beatles come back? That's a lot of bitches screaming.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

That's going to be a big challenge for these studios going forward. They overplayed their hand with the diversity push, so a lot of people will be immediately cynical anytime they see a game with black female lead or whatever. Had it been a more organic transition we wouldn't have reached this point.

That’s exactly the problem. I used to think nothing of the race/gender of characters in my entertainment. If anything, it seemed kinda cool to me when the cast was diverse.

Nowadays if I see a Strong Black Female featured prominently I immediately think “oh great, it’s going to be one of THOSE games”. I hate that this is my reaction, but for these people, the 0 charisma, asexual, mannish BIPOC woman is like the ultimate ideal for character design.

Seems like this is having exactly the opposite effect that these wackos claim to be aiming for.

 

[Vlodril]

I would have gone the other way, I would have supported the developers in saying they eradicated SBI and kept them off the list until after release. At which point if it was confirmed they where lying they would be added alongside a press release publicly telling people and destroying the developers reputation going forward.

By doing it this way you have effectively come across as someone who won't give someone the benefit of the doubt when they approach you. Call me gullable but I'm inclined to believe the developer and support them until I am given a reason not to.

I don't have a problem with them adding the game on the list if they worked on it. Add a notation that the dev said they removed that part maybe.

Asking for access to the game pre-release sounds dodgy though. Looks like a let me judge your game you wouldn't want it on my list now or anything (i am not saying that is what the intention but the optics wouldn't be great).

 

[JayK47]

I'm convinced the goal for many of these people was never to improve diversity in games. It is to make games, which used to be predominantly enjoyed by males, utter shit. To spit in our faces as our beloved characters and franchises are ruined before our very eyes.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'm convinced the goal for many of these people was never to improve diversity in games. It is to make games, which used to be predominantly enjoyed by males, utter shit. To spit in our faces as our beloved characters and franchises are ruined before our very eyes.

They're control obsessed freaks. They just don't like the idea of people existing and enjoying things outside their sphere of influence.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

 

[Moneal]

That’s exactly the problem. I used to think nothing of the race/gender of characters in my entertainment. If anything, it seemed kinda cool to me when the cast was diverse.

Nowadays if I see a Strong Black Female featured prominently I immediately think “oh great, it’s going to be one of THOSE games”. I hate that this is my reaction, but for these people, the 0 charisma, asexual, mannish BIPOC woman is like the ultimate ideal for character design.

Seems like this is having exactly the opposite effect that these wackos claim to be aiming for.

Its all because of the bad writing/agenda pushing. if the characters were interesting it wouldn't matter if it was a black woman or asian trans man or what ever race/gender/orientation the character has. Instead of giving us good characters they push agenda and you can't have real characters when that is your starting point.

 

[Jaybe]

 

[The Pleasure]

 

[Guilty_AI]

Remeber this kind of phrase is pure projection.

 

[Lambogenie]

Retarded statement. Not everything will appeal to everyone. Even fucking water from different regions will be offensive to some people. Fuck them clouds for not thinking of everyone's feeling.

 

[Needlecrash]

Not EVERYTHING is for EVERYONE. For fucks sake...

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

I read today DEI referred to as "Didn't earn it" and i cant stop laughing

 

[Boss Mog]

This is just nonsense, I've never felt excluded because the character didn't look like me. In fact, given the choice, I tend to play characters who don't look like me, because gaming is a form of escapism after all. I just wanna have fun and relax without having current day politics being shoved down my throat.

 

[Moriarty1889]

This is just nonsense, I've never felt excluded because the character didn't look like me. In fact, given the choice, I tend to play characters who don't look like me, because gaming is a form of escapism after all. I just wanna have fun and relax without having current day politics being shoved down my throat.

Those lunatics want everything catered only to them. They only want POC and other minorities as the main characters. Their war on white people is so blatantly obvious and disgusting. All the devs who use these toxic nut jobs are just as guilty. This poison is so prevalent in everything because of groups like this everywhere. Hopefully it can slowly be called out and purged by normal people.

 

[Boss Mog]

Those lunatics want everything catered only to them. They only want POC and other minorities as the main characters. Their war on white people is so blatantly obvious and disgusting. All the devs who use these toxic nut jobs are just as guilty. This poison is so prevalent in everything because of groups like this everywhere. Hopefully it can slowly be called out and purged by normal people.

I don't care about the main character's ethnicity as long as it make sense. If you're trying to showcase a certain culture like Scandinavia under the Vikings or feudal Japan or medieval Europe, show it enough respect to represent it accurately of what it typically was. Putting a black protagonist in those cases I listed would make no sense, and just be pandering. And please I don't care if you can pinpoint that one black person that was there at that time, they are not representative of that culture at that time.

Also, I do like my characters to look good though. For guys it's not a problem, you don't see many short bald fat guys as protagonists, but these days for women, these degenerate devs push for ugly and manly looking women, so I do take umbrage with that.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Besides the virtue-signaling, the hypocrisy mixed with ignorance truly pisses me off.

For these scumbags inclusion is "add an Afro-American dude/chick in it". You can't get any more racist than that.

The thing is that European whites, Asians or Africans have dozens of different ethnicities with their own minorities, and by default swapping them for an Afro-American is supremacist AF. For example, a game located in Spain to be inclusive should feature gypsies, not Afro-Americans. In France, they should include North Africans, who are a completely different ethnicity, and so on. It's impossible to make true "inclusive games" on a general basis.

This is peak racism and colonial mindset, out of sheer ignorance and ill-intentions.

 

[nkarafo]

They overplayed their hand with the diversity push, so a lot of people will be immediately cynical anytime they see a game with black female lead or whatever. Had it been a more organic transition we wouldn't have reached this point.

But why? Why would anyone want this "transition"?

There was never a need for it. Whether we like it or not, white males is the vast majority of gamers in the west (and no, mobile phone users don't count). If you want to sell games there you need to cater mostly to them.

And no, there's nothing "wrong with a black female lead" but the market doesn't work that way. You can't just go against every basic marketing rule, even go as far as attacking your main customers, and expect your product to sell.

But again, there's also nothing wrong with white dude protagonists so i don't see why we so desperately need to replace them?

Don't get me wrong. Before mainstream gaming got invaded by the wokes, a minority protag was a nice change of pace from your usual generic white bald marine. And it worked because it was organic, like you said. But there is no possible scenario where making the black female lead the new white bald marine can be organic. Not in the western market.

After this insanity ends, everyone will most likely avoid minority protags like the plague, at least for a while. It's not our fault though, the wokes did this to themselves.

 

[AgatonSax]

I'm convinced the goal for many of these people was never to improve diversity in games. It is to make games, which used to be predominantly enjoyed by males, utter shit. To spit in our faces as our beloved characters and franchises are ruined before our very eyes.

Nah, these people just aren’t any good.

 

[marquimvfs]

It's over guys. They won.

Just saw a piece of a real journalist over the screaming. Even if lame, it was organized because the state of industry, the mass layoffs and so on. If someone told that it was about other matters, it was a lie. The main complaint over the event was that "the industry is in shambles and the recent layoff of 8k (some said 10k) workers don't make the situation better and here we are a week in SF to pretend everything is ok". SBI mentions were made by chads that replied in comments saying that devs brought this situation over themselves with woke crap, and so on.

 

[marquimvfs]

So wait, 50 devs went outside of GDC to scream like petulant assholes against one Brazilian man's curating group who's whole purpose of being is simply to inform the consumers the very public information that an outside consulting group did indeed work on a game. Something that will be in the credits, websites, etc.

This industry in its mainstream form/cliques is a joke, a fucking joke.

Had I not seen their behavior lately, I'd think this was a lie or parody.

No. It was all about the recent layoffs and about "pretend it was everything okay while enjoying GDC". It has nothing about the SBI crap.

 

[Doczu]

No. It was all about the recent layoffs and about "pretend it was everything okay while enjoying GDC". It has nothing about the SBI crap.

Still, going outside and throwing a screaming tantrum doesn't look like an adult thing to do, now does it?
Should worksers of all industries do the same when lay offs occur?

 

[marquimvfs]

Still, going outside and throwing a screaming tantrum doesn't look like an adult thing to do, now does it?
Should worksers of all industries do the same when lay offs occur?

I agree, those are adults with the emotional intelligence of a school boy that cannot handle frustration and insecurities that come with adulthood. But it has nothing to do with SBI like the quoted tweet implies.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

So wait, 50 devs went outside of GDC to scream like petulant assholes against one Brazilian man's curating group who's whole purpose of being is simply to inform the consumers the very public information that an outside consulting group did indeed work on a game. Something that will be in the credits, websites, etc.

This industry in its mainstream form/cliques is a joke, a fucking joke.

Had I not seen their behavior lately, I'd think this was a lie or parody.

I'm honestly hoping for a crash at this point so the people who actually like games are the ones in the gaming industry. The opportunistic parasites are sucking it dry, just like they did with comic books.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

No. It was all about the recent layoffs and about "pretend it was everything okay while enjoying GDC". It has nothing about the SBI crap.

It has everything to do if you follow the dots line:

- Game studios are hiring people not related to game production, inflating budgets, and cutting down future profits.

- These new hires hinder game development with agendas. Games get delayed while their content gets worse.

- Games don't meet expectations and layoffs happen.

These two trends (competence crisis - massive layoffs) are interconnected. SBI is only the face of it but behind it there is a whole network that is ruining the Western entertainment industry.

And these developers SHOULD know. They know it 100%. But they misdirect their anger towards a straw man. In short, fuck them.

 

[marquimvfs]

I'm honestly hoping for a crash at this point so the people who actually like games are the ones in the gaming industry. The opportunistic parasites are sucking it dry, just like they did with comic books.

I understand the feeling, but an actual crash would do more harm than good, I think. What we need is a gradual change in the status quo to avoid such crash. The recent layoffs are both good and bad. I doubt very much that everyone of the more than 8k workers that were fired were all "woketards infiltrated".

 

[marquimvfs]

It has everything to do if you follow the dots line:

- Game studios are hiring people not related to game production, inflating budgets, and cutting down future profits.

- These new hires hinder game development with agendas. Games get delayed while their content gets worse.

- Games don't meet expectations and layoffs happen.

These two trends (competence crisis - massive layoffs) are interconnected. SBI is only the face of it but behind it there is a whole network that is ruining the Western entertainment industry.

And these developers SHOULD know. They know it 100%. But they misdirect their anger towards a straw man. In short, fuck them.

Like I said above, I don't believe this. 8k is a lot of people, representation only folks don't have that manpower alone, and most of the layoffs were only made to satisfy shareholders. Woke culture may have some part in it, but the industry bought this situation themselves with the increased production value that was not sustainable in the long term, SBI and representation aside. It's more about Ubisoft yearly quadruple A not selling well because people are tired of formulaic open world games than some people screaming for representation, I believe. We need changes in the industry, otherwise every game will be a billion dollar Marvel movie roller-coaster until ideas are dry and people are tired of it.

 

[Kacho]

But why? Why would anyone want this "transition"?

There was never a need for it. Whether we like it or not, white males is the vast majority of gamers in the west (and no, mobile phone users don't count). If you want to sell games there you need to cater mostly to them.

And no, there's nothing "wrong with a black female lead" but the market doesn't work that way. You can't just go against every basic marketing rule, even go as far as attacking your main customers, and expect your product to sell.

But again, there's also nothing wrong with white dude protagonists so i don't see why we so desperately need to replace them?

Don't get me wrong. Before mainstream gaming got invaded by the wokes, a minority protag was a nice change of pace from your usual generic white bald marine. And it worked because it was organic, like you said. But there is no possible scenario where making the black female lead the new white bald marine can be organic. Not in the western market.

After this insanity ends, everyone will most likely avoid minority protags like the plague, at least for a while. It's not our fault though, the wokes did this to themselves.

There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting more diversity. We had that meme about the bald white space marine during the 360 era, and there was truth to it because it was overdone. Like, if devs want to spread the love and give us more diversity that's fine. It wasn't a problem in Prey 2017 or Death of the Outsider, for example.

The problem is diversity became THE focal point for western game studios. Now when I watch an Xbox showcase 7 out 10 games has a black person front and center. It's inauthentic and people see right through that garbage. Now instead the bald white space marine meme we're getting the killmonger haircut meme. Everyone is doing the same shit and it stinks.

We see the same shit in TV commercials. After the summer of love it's like every fucking commercial has a black person in it. There was a hilarious meme about a guy pointing that out to his wife so often she gave him a bell to ring every time he saw diversity and the last panel was him smashing the shit out of it. It's hilarious because it's true! lol

Anyway, TLDR diversity is fine. Diversity being pushed by ultra progressives in California is wack.

 

[YCoCg]

There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting more diversity. We had that meme about the bald white space marine during the 360 era, and there was truth to it because it was overdone. Like, if devs want to spread the love and give us more diversity that's fine. It wasn't a problem in Prey 2017 or Death of the Outsider, for example.

The problem is diversity became THE focal point for western game studios. Now when I watch an Xbox showcase 7 out 10 games has a black person front and center. It's inauthentic and people see right through that garbage. Now instead the bald white space marine meme we're getting the killmonger haircut meme. Everyone is doing the same shit and it stinks.

We see the same shit in TV commercials. After the summer of love it's like every fucking commercial has a black person in it. There was a hilarious meme about a guy pointing that out to his wife so often she gave him a bell to ring every time he saw diversity and the last panel was him smashing the shit out of it. It's hilarious because it's true! lol

Anyway, TLDR diversity is fine. Diversity being pushed by ultra progressives in California is wack.

The sad thing is, this has become a red flag in black communities, when you have black gamers pointing out how sick and tired they are of every character now having the "Killmonger" haircut it just reeks of not actually researching in said demographic and just following trend.

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

When you witness this type of forced morality or agenda, the core attributes usually contain:

• Typically perpetuated by "progressive educated" types who assume themselves the arbiters of both knowledge and morality - remember many of these were indoctrinated at expensive schools but that cannot be conflated with real education focusing on logical/critical thinking
• Leapfrogging or at a minimum standing on the backs of true victims/marginalized people in need of justice in order to get their social media dopamine hits (sadly it's now a grift that pays)
• Power and control (We know what's best for minorities etc, & we will be speaking for you - ironically most of these people are white) - They know exactly what they are doing and it's insidious
• No cult is successful without their group of sheep who ignore all of the above - where the subjective morality moves like a leaf in the wind - this is why they use the marginalized for their cover, because it attracts those who want to make a difference, even if only via some clicks online.
• Like any true gang or cult, if you try to employ critical or logical thought, you will be labeled and shunned, so no one leaves - instead they double down and make the cause their literal personality

There is no way to include everyone's subjective desires in a singular piece of entertainment , anyone with a brain knows this. This is why we have FICTIONAL characters and worlds in games - people overwhelmingly play video games to escape reality. Graphical leaps have sadly made a side-effect scenario where most games are designed to mimic reality. I don't need to be Kratos and I sure as shit don't care if my worldview aligns with his.

Make your own games, with your own IP and see if it sells - you know like everyone else has done since the dawn of time - vs hijacking existing franchises to peddle & preach your agenda.

 

[marquimvfs]

Make your own games, with your own IP and see if it sells - you know like everyone else has done since the dawn of time

I was talking about this with my wife yesterday and she said the same thing, we agreeed to disagree. My educated guess was that they already tried and it didn't worked as intended. Both as a worker inside a dev company trying to sell an idea that got scrapped and as an independent creator, then the product with the idea didn't sell. The white male is the main target audience at the industry, the same white male that don't touch their products (to put in the garbage bin) without gloves. Having said that, they are in the right direction, they founded companies that are trying to change the tastes of the main audience, so the products they want to create could have a chance. But the core audience mindset change strategy is wrong, they're forcing all the ideas (not the good ones, like a respectable creator) in an abrupt way, paying no attention to the details in the core of the works they're messing with and taking advantage of an almost collapsing industry, promising a supposed raise in sells that could come with a "new audience". But this audience doesn't exist (at least yet), and they also threats the marketing team with cancelation if they don't embrace their standards fully.
The way they operate is a house of cards, a recipe for disaster. They're promising a thing they cannot deliver, which is a better product that will sell to a broader audience. But the product is worse than the original, and the "new" audience is non existent, is something they're trying to create in order to consume the products they like, the way they like. That will only work while they are somehow new at the market, bring some money to the table (with third party financing) and are arguing with a director/marketing table desperate to sell more copies (some products don't need this, some will learn the hard way that it won't work as intended). They could be a novelty in the market if they stayed in the shadows for the final consumer for more time, that's why that Steam list was a threat for them. When they collapse, they'll blame the white male, call retirement from the "toxic" industry and focus their energy on lectures teaching the new generation on how to be as inclusive as they were, without never looking at their mistakes.