With PlayStation 5 exclusive game "Solf Hoof Mountain" released early next month, the oil pipe comment section of each new trailer has been in heated debate over the past week.The cause was that a developer of Sucker Punch Productions made jokes on social media about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.Sony confirmed that it had terminated the contract with the employee after the right-wing forces put pressure on it, but declined to comment further.Now, studio head and co-founder Brian Fleming responds directly to the firing in a new interview.
Sucker Punch's art designer Drew Harrison has been working in the studio for nearly 10 years. On the day of Charlie Kirk's assassination, she posted a message saying, "I hope the assaulter is named Mario, so Luigi knows that his brother has stood up for him."Less than 24 hours later, she confirmed that she had been fired.A Sony spokesman told the media at the time: "Drew Harrison is no longer an employee of Sucker Punch Productions."
When asked about this, Fleming said: "It is true that Drew is indeed no longer an employee. As a studio, we agree that celebrating or understatement of the murder of others is an untolerable bottom line for us, and we explicitly condemn it. This is the position of our studio and our current attitude."
Although Harrison was quickly fired, angry netizens asked Sony to take action against any employees who might like or repost Harrison's remarks, while also pointing the finger at other companies and their employees due to potential "anti-Kirk sentiment."Bethesda was also involved — the company released a clip of "Raiders of the Lost Ark: Ancient Circle" in which the famous "Nazi Smasher" said to a kitten "You don't care much about these fascists, right?", and was subsequently accused of teasing supporters of the right-wing podcaster, which has been later deleted.
Microsoft's gaming department employees have also become targets, and Elon Musk has also participated.On September 12, Microsoft responded: "We are aware of the opinions expressed by some employees on recent events. We attach great importance to such matters and are currently reviewing each specific situation one by one. Remarks that cheer for violence against anyone are unacceptable and do not match our values." When asked if any employees were fired by Microsoft for these investigations, a spokesperson for the company declined to comment.
"Sucker Punch is an excellent studio and one of the few highlights left in the gaming industry. I still support them and can't tolerate any hostility against them. There are really the best people out there."
