Dustborn developer Purple Thread Video games has launched a press release decrying the “tidal wave of hate and abuse” that has surrounded the studio and sport since its launch final week.
Dustborn is an alt-history Americana highway journey sport that wears its politics on its sleeve: It is a sport a few “group of outcast queers and exploited employees [who] battle fascist cops and smash company drones whereas navigating new and evolving relationships,” as we put it in our June preview. It holds a “largely constructive” person score on Steam and an mixture essential rating of 68 on Metacritic—by all appearances it is a respectable sport concentrating on a fairly particular viewers.
Nevertheless it’s additionally attracted appreciable “tradition wars” backlash, as seen in varied person critiques, YouTube movies, and Reddit threads the place you may see the phrase “woke” used rather a lot. There’s additionally a not-insignificant quantity of glee over Dustborn’s apparently modest launch gross sales, yet one more instance of the frankly pathetic eagerness some folks should grave dance on video games they do not like.
Ten days after Dustborn’s launch, Purple Thread has had sufficient of it. “We anticipated Dustborn to spark dialog and debate, and seemed ahead to participating with our gamers in a constructive and constructive style,” the studio stated in a message posted to social media. “Sadly, that dialog has been drowned out by a tidal wave of hate and abuse.
“We welcome considerate suggestions and respectful criticism. We embrace dialogue and debate. However now we have zero tolerance for hate speech, harassment, and threats of any sort. Those that have interaction in such habits shall be faraway from our group.”
Dustborn writer Quantic Dream expressed “heartfelt help” for Purple Thread Video games in a retweet of the studio’s assertion, including, “We stand united in opposition to hate in all its types and are dedicated to fostering communities constructed on understanding and respect.”
In a follow-up assertion supplied to PC Gamer, Purple Thread stated Dustborn is a sport that “emphasizes the facility of phrases and the significance of constructing an inclusive society the place everybody belongs.”
Understandably, in fact, there are limits to inclusion, and individuals who insist on being persistent dickholes as a result of a videogame character makes use of gender-neutral pronouns are going to seek out themselves on the skin.
“We at all times welcome constructive enter, nevertheless, we don’t tolerate the spreading of hate,” the studio stated. “We’re conscious of sure express and hateful feedback on our varied channels and have taken motion to ban these customers instantly. We wish to remind gamers that now we have a zero-tolerance coverage for threats, hate speech, or harassment. We’ll proceed striving to construct a constructive group the place everybody feels protected to be their genuine self.”
In case you’re interested in Dustborn—as a sport, not a pawn in on-line tradition wars stupidity—however not fairly able to commit, a demo is offered on Steam.
