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[Draugoth]

Early last year, while working on the next entry in the Life Is Strange franchise, a few developers at Deck Nine stumbled upon something that didn’t belong in their game: Nazi symbols.

Initially, developers noticed a reference to the number 88, and flagged the issue to their bosses assuming it was an innocent mistake. But in the ensuing weeks, others found more problematic signs and in-universe labels, such as references to a racist meme, the number 18, and the Hagal rune. As the number of possible hate symbols mounted, staff grew increasingly concerned that someone was putting these items in their game deliberately as a dog whistle to white supremacists.

Nazi imagery would be inappropriate in most games, but in a Life Is Strange title the dissonance was especially frightening. Since its inception, the series has been lauded for thoughtful portrayals of marginalized individuals. Its most recent entry, Life Is Strange: True Colors, won Games for Impact at The Game Awards in 2021 and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game. With such a reputation, developers tell me, there was an expectation that any whiff of hate speech would be immediately removed and thoroughly investigated.

But as weeks went by, management remained silent and staff unrest grew. This wasn’t the first time executives had failed to act when marginalized individuals at the studio felt unsafe. According to over a dozen current and former employees across several departments, most of whom spoke to me on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, Deck Nine’s management has long let a toxic work culture fester at the studio. They claim the C-suite has protected multiple abusive leaders, encouraged crunch, and allowed bullying of individuals advocating internally for more authentic representation in Life Is Strange.

Now on the cusp of announcing its next game and struggling to secure other projects, Deck Nine leadership is facing growing internal discontent from those harmed by its inaction. While the developers of Life Is Strange love and believe in the series, many of them increasingly struggle to reconcile the values the games promote with the culture in which they are made.

Full Article

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Imtjnotu]

This ain't ending well

 

[intbal]

Not gonna bother reading any stupid shit from IGN.

I'm just surprised that the number 18 is now racist.

That's my birthdate. I guess I have to be cancelled now.

 

[midnightAI]

the number 18

Ooooh are Hallmark in trouble with all of those cards sporting the number 18 on them

 

[Cyberpunkd]

This article is discriminatory toward Nazis. They have feelings too.

 

[Sgt.Asher]

This is why you don't hire these people, a fucking number is white supremacy.

 

[Gaiff]

You know, I try my best to be really empathetic towards these issues but man they make it so hard to take them seriously when I see comments like these:

marginalized individuals at the studio felt unsafe.

Like, what kind of pussy shit is this lmao? You feel unsafe because of a couple of symbols in a video game? The west has raised a generation of sheltered cowards. Can't imagine how "unsafe" those people would feel in a place like Colombia or Haiti.

 

[Guilty_AI]

staff grew increasingly concerned that someone was putting these items in their game deliberately as a dog whistle to white supremacists

No mate, this was a disgruntled employee trying to sabotage the game. They themselves said work culture was horrible there, although of course they don't mention that maybe they were part of that problem.

 

[Punished Miku]

Letthemfight.gif

 

[Polygonal_Sprite]

I guess my favorite soccer team are Nazi's then as they have merch with '88 on it. They were founded in 1888...

 

[drganon]

More like life is cringe.

 

[diffusionx]

Life is Strange is one of the most wokeshit games we have and this is what happens.

 

[intbal]

 

[Dexero]

You can find hagal runes on every ambulance

Cancel ambulances now

 

[WoJ]

Do these people have lives? Do they just look for random shit to be outraged about? It's like they literally sit in a room like Russell Crowe in A Beatiful Mind to create connections to shit that doesn't exist.

 

[tkscz]

The number 18 is racist because 1 = A and 8 = H. I guess Alfred Hitchcock fans are racist too?

Also I am not reading an article that long on a studio whose games I have no intent to play. It's just another case of allowing activist to work with each other and watching them turn on each other.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I guess every 17 year old should just skip straight to 19 now; I'll tell my boss I'm not coming in on the 18th either since I don't want to be associated with hitler.

Edit:
Oh shit this is post number 18! pls don't cancel me bruvs.

 

[drganon]

That song is pretty cool.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

The article has almost every red flag in the full-retard album: Nazis, racism, white supremacists, crunch, toxic culture, "people feeling unsafe".

I'm just missing it wasn't Jason Schreier the one to write this piece.

 

[Crm114]

So what’s the summary here? A rogue employee at an ultra woke company started placing hidden Nazi symbolism in the games code? Or is it actually visible in game?

 

[Fake]

Number 69 is sexist as well.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

 

[Crm114]

Number 69 is sexist as well.

Yes only 71 is acceptable, 69 with a finger in each persons ass

 

[Revolutionary]

Deck Nine: The Nazis are coming from inside the house!!

 

[Sephimoth]

lmao why is that SHIEEETTT meme racist? Always reminds me of Clay Davis in The Wire

 

[Kacho]

Now on the cusp of announcing its next game and struggling to secure other projects, Deck Nine leadership is facing growing internal discontent from those harmed by its inaction. While the developers of Life Is Strange love and believe in the series, many of them increasingly struggle to reconcile the values the games promote with the culture in which they are made.

Why are they struggling to secure other projects?

 

[Shadowplay1979]

You know, I try my best to be really empathetic towards these issues but man they make it so hard to take them seriously when I see comments like this:



Like, what kind of pussy shit is this lmao? You feel unsafe because of a couple of symbols in a video game? The west has raised a generation of sheltered cowards. Can't imagine how "unsafe" those people would feel in a place like Colombia or Haiti.

Thats the rub, no one who says that actually feels unsafe, they like other people knowng they feel unsafe.

 

[lughnasadh123]

It could be some easter egg trolling going on but I think there's a higher chance this is just some kind of pareidolia going on either intentionally or not coinciding with their already established beef with higher ups. Probably helps your cause to put pressure on people if you frame it with an extra layer of racism.

 

[Shadowstar39]

You know, I try my best to be really empathetic towards these issues but man they make it so hard to take them seriously when I see comments like this:



Like, what kind of pussy shit is this lmao? You feel unsafe because of a couple of symbols in a video game? The west has raised a generation of sheltered cowards. Can't imagine how "unsafe" those people would feel in a place like Colombia or Haiti.

They don't feel unsafe. They want to get their way... They want to have all games have weirdo themes, and when the higher ups know it won't sell and say no, they conspire on reddit, ree, discord, etc... to push for firings or some shit like this to get their way. Rinse repeat. Same shit with the sbi stuff. Its a tactic. - - at least my theory, but seems to be constantly repeated and the media eats it up.

 

[rm082e]

How did we wind up in a place where Kotaku is trying to be IGN while IGN is trying to be Kotaku?

 

[cormack12]

They claim the C-suite has protected multiple abusive leaders, encouraged crunch, and allowed bullying of individuals advocating internally for more authentic representation in Life Is Strange.

So they were asked to do work, and told to get on with their job and then started reeeeing about things they suddenly notice.

I can imagine a young white woman with purple dreads and a penis getting to her desk, flopping her skinny latte down on her walnut desk as everyone is on eggshells and declaring 'I feel so unsafe'.

 

[raduque]

Not gonna bother reading any stupid shit from IGN.

I'm just surprised that the number 18 is now racist.

That's my birthdate. I guess I have to be cancelled now.

My gf was born in 1988, I guess she's literally Hitler then.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

They don't feel unsafe. They want to get their way... They want to have all games have weirdo themes, and when the higher ups know it won't sell and say no, they conspire on reddit, ree, discord, etc... to push for firings or some shit like this to get their way. Rinse repeat. Same shit with the sbi stuff. Its a tactic. - - at least my theory, but seems to be constantly repeated and the media eats it up.

You have the word crunch casually thrown in but that's probably at the core of the problem. These tactics are getting old pretty fast.

Well deserved, though. This is what you get when you hire these morons.

 

[GrayChild]

 

[gaming_again]

western games press go on a shrieking crusade against crunch.

Western games turn to shit.

BBC. Bring back crunch!!

 

[skyfall]

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Some of you guys really are little babies. Trying to marginalize the use of nazi shit.
88 is to nazis what 69 is to Reddit.

It is wildly acknowledged signal for nazis. If you see someone with a 88 patch or tattoo they are shitty people. Even if your granny happens to be 88 atm.

Not everything is woke bs.

 

[Moses85]

Reminds me on

DFB SS

This phantasy… wow

 

[GymWolf]

And someone in another topic was having pity for this psycho bitch, smh.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

How I feel when I read this utter dribble

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

It's fascinating how the overly religious nut from 1987 ("Satan is hiding in pop culture everywhere") does the exact same stuff as the Blue Hairs today ("Racism and fascism is hiding in pop culture everywhere").

 

[Shut0wen]

How can you feel unsafe if someone has nazi ideology? bunch of melts

 

[Trogdor1123]

Some of you guys really are little babies. Trying to marginalize the use of nazi shit.
88 is to nazis what 69 is to Reddit.

It is wildly acknowledged signal for nazis. If you see someone with a 88 patch or tattoo they are shitty people. Even if your granny happens to be 88 atm.

Not everything is woke bs.

I don’t understand the Reddit 69 part. I get the meaning of 69 obviously but not how it specifically relates to Reddit.

 

[ManaByte]

What? IGN is evolving!

Congratulations! Your IGN evolved into Kotaku!

 

[phaedrus]

Full Article

 

[sankt-Antonio]

I don’t understand the Reddit 69 part. I get the meaning of 69 obviously but not how it specifically relates to Reddit.

Its an example, maybe 420 would have been better XD

 

[winjer]

Most of the things they point out are quite the stretch to be considered Nazi symbols.
It's more like they were trying to find something to be offended, rather than someone trying to place Nazi imagery in the game.

 

[Camreezie]

It really doesn't sound like dude did much lmao

 

[GymWolf]

Safe to say that Rebekah is one of the best reporters out there right now. Excellent reporting here!