The makers of Dying Light 2 have publicly minimize ties with author Chris Avellone following allegations from a number of girls of sexual harrassment, sexual assault, and abusing his trade status as a sexual predator. Avellone is thought for writing on games together with Planescape: Torment and Fallout: New Vegas. Several different upcoming games he was recognized to have written for, together with Bloodlines 2, have clarified they weren’t at present working with him anyway.
Over the weekend on Twitter, a number of girls gave accounts of their experiences with Avellone and the way they’ve seen him deal with different girls. Avellone provided obscure public apologies to some by way of Twitter over the weekend. Honestly it’s gutting to maintain studying accounts like this within the games trade, so in order for you particular particulars I’ll level you to the report on Kotaku, who spoke with two of the ladies.
In the wake of the accusations, a number of studios clarified their present working relationships with Avellone. Polish developer Techland, who have been working with Avellone on Dying Light 2, launched an announcement to announce the top of that relationship.
“We treat matters of sexual harassment and disrespect with utmost care, and have no tolerance for such behaviours – it applies to both our employees as well as external consultants, Chris among them,” Techland said. “This is why, together with Chris Avellone, we’ve decided to end our cooperation.”
Which suggests it’s a mutual settlement. Avellone has been writing as a contractor on many games since leaving Obsidian Entertainment in 2015, together with his involvement typically a stretch aim on RPG crowdfunding campaigns. His title is a giant draw, given the games he’s labored on: Planescape, Fallout 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Prey, Into The Breach, Alpha Protocol, and extra.
Owlcat Games, who’ve labored with Avellone on Pathfinder: Kingmaker and its upcoming sequel, informed us in an announcement they’re “shocked by the allegations”. They defined, “Chris has contributed a lot to the RPG genre in his career, including our first game Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and his reputation never allowed us to expect any of this ever to happen.” Owlcat say they “do not condone sexual misconduct in any form”, however “At the same time, we don’t uphold taking rushed actions based on allegations, and we will continue monitoring the situation closely to make an informed decision.”
Bloodlines 2 publishers Paradox informed Gamasutra that Avellone had “briefly worked” with the writing staff “early in development” however not shortly, and his work is now not within the game anyway. “Through an iterative creative process, however, none of his contributions remain in the game that Hardsuit Labs is continuing to develop.” So they’re saying his elements already naturally bought shuffled out over the course of improvement, not that they’ve now determined to take away them.
Similarly, he was additionally as soon as engaged on the System Shock remake however Night Dive Studios CEO Stephen Kick mentioned on Twitter, “Chris hasn’t been involved in our development since 2017, and we went a different direction with the writing after we restarted the project in 2018.”
Gato Studios, makers of The Waylanders, clarify that Avellone “was brought on as a design contractor” however he “is no longer associated with” them or their game. “As of last week, Chris’s contract is complete and the content provided will be assessed as development progresses,” Gato mentioned in their statement. The game’s lead author famous that he solely wrote “a few quests”, which she was now “gonna take an extra look at.”
Avellone was additionally recognized to be writing for Alaloth: Champions Of The Four Kingdoms, whose makers haven’t publicly commented on the allegations. We’ve contacted them for remark.
The weekend additionally noticed many, many, many accusations of sexual harrassment, abuse of energy, and worse in opposition to dozens of gaming streamers, YouTubers, and esports commentators. The CEO of a streamer expertise company, Omeed Dariani, stood down following an accusation in opposition to him – which had prompted quite a few purchasers to stop.
Disclosure: Cara Ellison, a former RPS columnist and my former flatmate, works on Bloodlines 2.
