Chris Avellone has been a respected name in this industry for a long time thanks to his contributions for work on games like Dying Light 2 and Fallout: New Vegas. It came as a shock to many when sexual assault allegations regarding him came to light, and an even bigger shock when he admitted guilt to many of the reports. In response, Techland, the studio behind Dying Light 2, has provided a statement regarding where they stand with Avellone for the foreseeable future.
Over this past weekend, several women in the games industry have come forward with accusations against Avellone for misconduct at, and during, public events. He himself has even responded to several, telling fans not to forgive him and that he is guilty, though he later seemed to ease up on that stance. Avellone, prior to this, was working as a narrative consultant for the upcoming Dying Light 2, something that Techland addressed immediately.
Here’s the statement regarding our cooperation with Chris Avellone: pic.twitter.com/ozLXZdVPZw
— Techland (@TechlandGames) June 22, 2020
Techland took to Twitter with the following statement, “We treat matters of sexual harassment and disrespect with the utmost care, and have no tolerance for such behaviors – it applies to both our employees as well as external consultants, Chris among them. This is why, together with Chris Avellone, we’ve decided to end our cooperation.”
The company added, “We are still working towards delivering the experience we promised in Dying Light 2. Both our narrative team, which Chris supported, and the whole development team of Dying Light 2 continue progressing efficiently, according to the plan revised at the beginning of the year.”
Related: Dying Light 2 Developer Update, “Last Stretch”
Several of the accusations that came forward about him were aggressive with one recount of his behavior resulting in a ban from events.
While we’re at it, here’s another man to add to the gaming industry predator garbage pile. Yesterday was the first time I said something publicly about this, and I’m done being silent, despite that fuckstick in the reply telling me to shut up. I WILL NOT. Thread: pic.twitter.com/bXXQHkQmcV
— Karissa☕️@✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼|WEARAMASK😷 (@SJBsMama) June 20, 2020
He’s not alone. Many women in the industry and in streaming are coming forward with their own stories. Many are opening up in a way that is hard to do. The industry is changing. This isn’t the first “MeToo” movement to hit the gaming community, and until something changes it likely won’t be the last.
Published: Jun 23, 2020 02:41 pm