In the wake of the recent scandal surrounding Sweet Baby Inc. and their harassment campaign against Kabrutus, the curator of the “Sweet Baby Inc. Detected” Steam group, which kicked off GamerGate 2.0, the gaming community once again finds itself at the forefront of the push back against forced DEI and other industry malpractice and the relationships between developers, consultants, and gamers. In a recent interview on the Geeks & Gamers Clips YouTube channel, prominent gaming figure Kabrutus and game developer Grummz (Mark Kern) shed light on interactions with developers and the evolving landscape of game development.
Mark Kern (Grummz) invited game developers to come clean about Sweet Baby Inc.’s involvement: “If you kicked Sweet Baby out of your studio for ruining your game, don’t hide it. @kabrutusrambo and I talk about how these studios could raise massive awareness and PR and sales just by announcing that they are no longer working with SBI.”
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Kabrutus, known for his fierce defense of gamers and advocacy for transparency within the industry, revealed intriguing insights into his interactions with developers amidst the ongoing discourse. When questioned about outreach from industry insiders, particularly developers, regarding his stance on contentious issues, Kabrutus disclosed that while maintaining confidentiality, he had indeed been in dialogue with various developers seeking clarity on their association with certain entities.
Kabrutus recently added “Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn” by A44 Games to his curated list labeled “Sweet Baby Inc. detected” on Steam. This decision followed the discovery that Kim Belair, associated with Sweet Baby Inc., had a role in the game, as disclosed in a physical copy of Edge Magazine. Upon being notified, the developers assured Kabrutus via email that they had thoroughly removed any connections to Sweet Baby Inc. and completely overhauled the game.
However, despite these assurances, they declined to provide a pre-release copy of the game or discuss it with Kabrutus’s curator team. This lack of transparency raised doubts regarding the developers’ claims. Discussions with the developers of “Flintlock” raised pertinent questions about the extent of SBI’s influence on game development, with developers seeking to distance themselves from past affiliations.
Kabrutus made clear that he wasn’t against game developers; quite the contrary. He emphasized the importance of transparency and mutual respect within the gaming community, asserting that gamers and developers are allies in the pursuit of quality gaming experiences. His message resonated with the broader gaming community, which increasingly values authenticity and integrity in game development.
Furthermore, Kabrutus offered pragmatic advice to developers seeking to disassociate from contentious entities such as Sweet Baby Inc. He urged them to communicate openly with gamers, emphasizing that transparency could enhance a game’s visibility and appeal to consumers. By aligning with their audience’s values, developers stand to forge stronger connections and garner greater support from the gaming community.
It was also pointed out that while attention often focuses on high-profile controversies, such as those involving Sweet Baby Inc., there are multiple entities that influence game development, each with its own agenda.
Kabrutus took to X and posted: “To the developers out there: we are on your side. We just want to be respected and be heard. Do not be afraid to reach us and say that you don’t want DEI stuff in your game or even that you had one of those companies working for you but don’t want to do that anymore and removed what they did from the final version of your project. Remember that we are fighting with you and not AGAINST you. If you are a developer and wanna talk about it, please, be my guest at info_DEID@protonmail.com. And don’t worry: I’ll NEVER reveal your identity if that’s what you want. If you do this, be 100% sure that we will support you. We will be on your side.”
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