I’ll be the first to admit that gaming, as a subculture, is not always the nicest, happiest place to visit. Especially in the current age, where people have a lot more things to be pissed about, hostility and vitriol tend to boil over quickly and plentifully, resulting in people saying a lot of things they probably wouldn’t say if they were in person.
Sadly, this manifests more frequently than anyone would like as direct threats to game developers, the latest victim of which being Focus Entertainment, developer of games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy.
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In a post on the developer’s official X (formerly Twitter) profile, Focus Entertainment posted an image message with the caption, “This is important to us. Please take a moment to read. Thank you for your comprehension.” The image message announced that, following direct threats to Focus Entertainment staff members, the developer has opted to file formal legal complaints against certain players of its games.
The players in question were not directly identified, nor were the alleged threats shown, though the message noted that the comments were of a “violent, sexist” nature.
Focus has Received Direct Threats to its Staff Members
Focus Entertainment’s X message opens by saying the developer wants to remind those who play its games about the rules of conduct in its communities. It stressed that all players are obligated to contribute to the creation of a gameplay environment that is welcoming and inclusive, and this requirement, and its protective courtesy, extends to other players, moderators, the development teams, and any other Focus Entertainment staff.
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The message goes on to note that, while toxic messages are nothing new for Focus’s communities, recently, said communities have been experiencing an escalation in rhetoric. This escalation has, in the message’s words, “led Focus Entertainment to file formal legal complaints against players directly threatening team members.”
Players are obligated to contribute to the creation of a gameplay environment that is welcoming and inclusive.
The message concludes by saying that the networks and hubs fostered by Focus and its games are about passion, and not hatred. This is followed by a warning that the developer will not tolerate comments of a violent or sexual nature towards its staff, and that it reserves the right to take any necessary legal action to ensure said staff’s safety.
Again, the precise comments, players being held culpable, or any particular games or game communities that these comments were in relation to, were not specifically identified.
Threats and Abuse are More Common than Any of Us Would Like
I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but sadly, in this day and age, abuse is becoming only more common and drastic. Everyone is entitled to criticize game developers and publishers, and goodness knows, there’s no shortage of stuff to criticize lately, like Tim Sweeney talking up AI or price hikes on subscription services. However, there is a very big difference between balanced, warranted criticism and threats of bodily harm.
In the 2023 GDC State of the Industry survey, 91% of game industry workers who responded said that player harassment and toxicity in the gaming industry is a problem ranging from minor to severe. Nearly half of respondents added that either they or a colleague had been the subject of directed player harassment, with a majority of these affirmative respondents being either women or part of the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s no secret that there is a lot of toxicity bubbling in this sphere, from something as simple as Marvel Rivals support going on strike to the Silent Hill Reddit moderators being forced to ban users in bulk. For reasons that I can’t personally elucidate or understand, it causes people to lash out in frightening, dangerous ways. No matter how you feel about a particular developer, making direct threats against another person is a crime, and it reflects poorly on the rest of us.
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