Obsidan Needs To Offer An Apology For Their Unprofessionalism

[@mahumia]

Perfect example of, to quote Warren Buffett, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." How to ruin the reputation of a 20 year old studio in just a few minutes by posting some stupid tweets... The toxicity runs deep, unfortunately.

[@spellandshield]

Mee eens!

[@1957DLT]

I let my wallet do the talking for me now. I have no sane reason to fork out $100+ (Cdn) to a studio who has made it clear how valued I am as a customer.

[@MordekaiserIsOP]

Matt needs to be fired. This is beyond the point of apology.

[@patriot639]

He does need to be fired, but not just him. Every director and employee who retweeted his comments and liked his comments should be fired as well.

[@miller42]

It wouldn't make a difference. This behavior has spread through the entire Microsoft corporate structure.

[@mrmurdock6994]

agreed. total disrespect with the gaming community. They should call back the game and remove the woke garbage. And Matt should never work in the gaming industry again.

[@patriot639]

@@miller42 People aren't very aware of this as little reporting has been made and not enough whistleblowers have sounded, but it IS microsoft who is pushing for every studio they have purchased to include the gender ideology, specifically, in the game. Now what that does is separate people ideologically. Because if you reject the gender ideology you are not wanted which means these studios are rooting out competent employees with saner worldviews out of management and allowing the echo chamber of madness to thrive.

[@N7krogan9]

They need to disAvow him

[@thegoldennuggetgamer]

I played pillars 1 and 2 for 600 hours, but I really dont want to buy games from people who hate me.

[@Chasodey]

Well, piracy exists for such reasons too. I do not approve pirating all games but it's your decision to not give part of your game check to this art director while having a proper understanding of the game via "free testing" of it.

[@zakariaal8747]

@@Chasodey Avowed is not even worth pirating

[@kazuya246]

I would have given anything to take the watcher into PoE 3. I was looking forward to Avowed, but Obsidian turned their back on me, so my back is turned on them.

[@wingnoot048]

According to Chris Avellone, head members that made PoE 1 and 2 REFUSED to work on it! Quite the red flag

[@isaacchamplain7970]

@@wingnoot048That is quite telling if the previous team refused to take part. I’m 95% sure I won’t even pirate, (I just have a bad feeling about it.) I’ll be watching others to see how it unfolds on the 5% chance I do play it…given Obsidian or Hansen apologizes.

[@doctorogre1777]

The worst part is the art director not only tanked the PR for the game, but the art direction for the game is the biggest knock on the game in the first place.

[@livelaurent]

No it is not lol. You just do not like it; that's it. Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 use that exact art direction; stop being a fucking drama queen. KZbin sheeps at its best lol Making up "facts" out their asses. "People" did not expect a dark game but only a minority of morons like you who think that all games must be, for some reason, dark or bloody to be good.

[@ScytheNoire]

Ya, the game is graphically unimpressive and very boring. It looks like a game from over a decade ago. They are making Bethesda look good.

[@arkgaharandan5881]

the art direction is terrible.

[@CarTastic-fv6eo]

The thing is they are openly racists towards white people and do not want to hire us ... While he is white. Its weird they have such self hate.

[@jhandlediihggdfhg]

It looks cheap.

[@redness8667]

The level of immaturity and unprofessionalism really boggles my mind. For an art director to say he purposely made a game for a large portion of the population to hate, is just bad business. This man should be fired immediately.

[@isaacchamplain7970]

Exactly. The way Hansen framed it, makes me think it goes beyond woke and there’s going to be more direct attacks in the game itself against the fans on account of Hansen’s desire to piss off the chuds as much as possible. Hansen is like “Buy my game, fuck you, you’ll still buy it!” Way to flash a big red warning sign.

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

Even Chris Avellone, former major Obsidian writer, went against Obsidian on X.

[@Avenus112]

The cult that Obsidian operates under hates Avellone too. They tried to ruin his life over lying allegations.

[@ginacirelli1581]

Mr. Avellone was one of the founders of Obsidian.

[@Frencho9]

Chris Avellone is who made Obsidian games great. Since he left they have gone downhill and woke. Josh sawyer it not who made their games great, it never was the directing or design work that stood out with Obsidian. Writing and a good story are paramount on an RPG... last thing Avellone worked on as a writer and world builder alongside Obsidian was Tyranny. Their last good game.

[@PrimaItalia]

I do not think Obsidian will apoligise for the simple reason that I think the leadership of Obsidian agree with Matt Hansen.

[@ArcaneAoo]

Fuk obsidian Microsoft should remove it from game pass though they don’t deserve the pity plays

[@TheresNoFreeUsername]

Yeah, all the great founding people are gone from Obsidian for quite some time. The ones who made NWN 2, KOTOR 2, FO:NW, POE 1&2 (and all the great titles during the Black Isle years). This is not the same Obsidian as before. Avellone even got MeToo'd, so it's baffling to me that some RPG people defend progressives... at all.

[@sneslive1556]

Sadly, the damage is done. You know he isn't the only one on that team that feels that way and if that is how they truly feel then I guess I know they don't want my support. He should be fired and made an example of. That'd be a start.

[@simonphoenix3789]

Of course not. If he is voicing those opinions and bragging about them openly, chances are that is exactly how everyone at Obsidian feels. Even Chris Avellone came out and said that people who were denied jobs at Obsidian should talk to lawyers about illegally being discriminated against. I think the rot at Obsidian is no different from that at every other major western developer. They all engaged in these DEI hiring practices that came along with inclusivity and diversity attitudes that were encouraged- no, demanded, of everyone there. So the talented people who made the Obsidian games I loved have largely left or are sidelined in favor of these far less talented ideologues who care less about making money for the investors and more about ensuring that any game they make is filled to the brim with their opinions and outlook on how they want the world to be. Its sad, but Obsidian is no more the same Obsidian studio of old than Bioware is the old Bioware.

[@YeOldeMachina]

​@@simonphoenix3789 agree 100%. If he felt confident in representing the game that way, the entire machine (including Xbox) is rotten to the core.

[@ginacirelli1581]

The entire studio is compromised.

[@ScytheNoire]

Remember to remove Avowed for any store wish list. Publishers do look at those as potential sales. You shouldn't have been pre-ordering anyways, so that shouldn't be an issue, because good gamers don't pre-order.

[@katarinakremberg1319]

The game is going to compete against Monster Hunter and KCD2, it's 90 dollars, it's Xbox exclusive and now this. Yeah. A recipe for disaster

[@masterpainter78]

Was, it "was" going to compete. That is all past tense now and neither of the two games are available yet.

[@dezmundtv962]

Watched SmashJT''s stream last night, he talked for nearly 3 hours to someone who works at Obsidian and discussed everything said during stream, the company has been compromised by Microsoft. Who is behind many of these DEI initiatives and HR groups that create hostile work environments at various studio's. Obsidian is %100 woke and dystopian in it's studio culture ever since Microsoft came in. Matt Hansen is awful to work for says this insider, the biggest POS there. Everyone in leadership thinks like he does, no one will issue an apology or speak up for fear of losing their job.

[@adamaccountname]

The way the mind virus spreads is because weak people think that it's how they show they're upper class and worthy of promotions etc. It's all about showing adherence to group think

[@grumpyoldwizard]

That's sad. Microsoft is one of the originals. Now it seems they are hostile to their customer base. That's sad.

[@dezmundtv962]

@@grumpyoldwizard yup, they are enforcing all their studio's to follow suit and treat anyone who disagrees like they are the enemy,. Everyone is walking on eggshells and always at the mercy of being fired for stepping out of line or arguing with their insane policies. Senior staff get fired often thanks to people using HR as a weapon to get them fired so they can give themselves promotions. Which is the case in many studio's right now.

[@arkgaharandan5881]

i wish he didnt put his streams in members only afterwards.

[@AffablyAndrew]

Seems like there is no hope for Elder Scrolls 6 then... Good thing I mainly play on play station. Now I'm also a little worried about the new Fable reboot

[@plainluke722]

That guy literally ruined all the good will gained from the new gameplay

[@johnadamsgaming]

Nah, man. No more apologies. They don't mean it anyway. These people need to never be allowed to work in this industry again.

[@cyclonetron5695]

Ah, the commentary I was waiting for. I appreciate your channel for its composed nature.

[@DieMaskeDerVielenGesichter]

I disagree. I don't want a disingenuous apology from Hansen, or Obsidian. Truth be told, I'm thankful for Hansen's openness. This game wasn't made for me, and if he didn't have a public meltdown, I might have given these people money. So I'm glad for the warning, and I'm glad that these people were able to make their spiteful little game. I hope it was worth it.

[@WannabeShady90]

💯💯💯

[@raketensven3127]

Why. Do. They. Always. Drag. Us. Into. Their. Therapy. Sessions.

[@Kododie]

I was very surprised to see good old Chris Avallone came out and straight up advised ppl to seek legal action if they suspect they may have been affected by illegal hiring practices they seems to be running.There are still sane people in the gaming industry.

[@Frencho9]

He is a legendary gigachad!Chris Avellone is who made Obsidian games great. Since he left they have gone downhill and woke. Josh sawyer it not who made their games great, it never was the directing or design work that stood out with Obsidian. Writing and a good story are paramount on an RPG... last thing Avellone worked on as a writer and world builder alongside Obsidian was Tyranny. Their last good game.

[@keithfilibeck2390]

Sawyer is insane as well, he just isn't as loud about it, its just how that crowd are, insulated, delusional, smug, and now angry.

[@jamricsloe]

He acted like a teenager. Most of the ideologs always seem to come off as very immature.

[@andrewh3079]

There's no way i'll give my money to people that hate me this much. PoE 1 and Deadfire are some of my favorite games.

[@TheresNoFreeUsername]

Reject modernity. Return to chud.

[@simonphoenix3789]

Microsoft seems to be the new EA, buying storied developers, forcing them to hire the people they want and abide by their DEI initiatives, and then likely shutting them down when their games inevitably fail.

[@AthulMiju]

I thought you purposely left out his comments in the previous video but boy was I wrong. You are one of the few reviewers with credibility as opposed to those KZbinrs who blindly shill for developers. You got yourself a sub, my brother.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

geez, why you watch shills then? go anti- and grift with the best of them.

[@AthulMiju]

@ ohh it’s amusing when woke shills expose themselves deliberately 😂 You are kinda like Matt Hansen in that aspect lmao

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@AthulMiju ?? but I just told ya to go anti-woke. Our grift is a better one, lol!

[@isaacchamplain7970]

@@justaquietpeacefuldance being anti-woke is only a grift if you’re using that stance for shady reasons. For a lot of us, it’s simply a moral stance.

[@justaquietpeacefuldance]

@@isaacchamplain7970 yeah I was being sarcastic, I know it doesn't transfer well to a yt comment, especially with this freaking topic.

[@JacekJaworowski-s9u]

I was wondering what's your opinion about the situation, you sound really disappointed

[@spellandshield]

I am, believe me.

[@riv4196]

He directed the art out the door, down the street and into a dumpster. Then set it on fire. There's no cohesive style to any of it. It is like they used a bunch of different asset shop models to build the game. Environment is muddled looking and un-natural. That over-used so much to be a red flag, purple and bright colours everywhere stuff. Character models, faces, facial animation and overall movement is so bad it looks like someone just started to learn how to do it. Absolute clown work.

[@marcdwonn9772]

I've been saying this for years now (well, ever since the 2nd trailer), but it seems people are completely blind to this. I started to doubt my sanity, LOL... Glad to see i'm not the only one who notices.

[@hobosapiensSinceShadowMoses]

The kind of early access you got from an indie company, true. I was not blew away by outer worlds ( New vegas in space !!!)

[@unknownknowable]

What you guys don't get is that this was never about games. Controlling media, its narratives is incredibly important, and games are now big and mainstream. You want to be left alone and "just play videogames". That is impossible. Sorry.

[@YeOldeMachina]

Very few people understand whst this movement is all about. It's about subverting western culture and weakining the anglosphere. It's become so commonplsce, that people aren't looking at the big picture. Yuri Bezmenov told us exactly what this was more than 3 decades ago.

[@kaipacifica1289]

Spell&Shield, the companies are being forced into this reality by international finance. Finance has a scheme to social engineer society by controlling the corporate purse strings (loans). To get those loans, companies create ESG / DEI arms to "play along" with the scheme -- forced adherence to ideology. This in turn plays out with working devs becoming radicalized and new hires being activists. In the end, this whole cycle / scheme will implode (and many would say is meant to implode the 1st world into the 3rd world) with finance being there to buy up everything that imploded for pennies on the dollar. So, while many see this as an ideological battle for society, it's actually a play by international finance to buy all of society. With that said, resist. Don't buy anything that forces modern, personal ideologies above those inherent in the game worlds. Don't give your dollars to this scheme. Stop this cycle. Without our money, even international finance can't fully fund their scheme and it will break apart in time.

[@Silas-Serdar]

Amen 🙏🏾 Larry Fink and his worry band of mischiefs goons should have never try to force the behiavour of millions of people.

[@Caoshunter23]

I wonder if Matt has ever worked at a customer service job? I use to have a job where customer support was part of it and one day after dealing with a bunch of angry customers I snapped at a customer who was yelling at me. My boss overheard this and after yelling at me for a couple of minutes fired me. In any other industry you're always reminded that the customer is the reason why you have a job and even when you're not at work you still represent the company. I understand that someone in Matt's position can't just be fired even at the tail end of development but I think there should be consequences for his actions. I don't understand why more companies in the games industry don't hold more people accountable for their actions or at least those in a leadership position.

[@domm6812]

How are these people allowed to run their mouth off on social media like this? Surely upper management at obsidian or Microsoft would have to power to say "you're damaging the game and our business. No more public commenting". It is pathetic that they just let him do so much damage with these unhinged posts. Just stop for god sake.

[@lostzephyr2191]

They're allowed to run their mouths like this because the higher ups have the same exact worldview. The games industry is a culturally homogenous industry that actively pushes out and blackballs anyone that disagrees with them, as shown by the TripWire CEO being pushed out for being anti-abortion and Scott Cawthon being pushed out for being a Republican.

[@micasa8421]

I used to work with contracts. We had certain nda's and rules like not to shit talk clients and this was for simple jobs. They must have something even more complex in their mega corporation. Crazy takes from a higher up.

[@fffrrraannkk]

Microsoft is the problem.

[@t-rexreximus359]

Exactly! It’s very selfish because if the game flops as a consequence of the online drama that he’s exacerbated close to launch then it’s Obsidian & his colleagues that will be hit financially for his public tantrum & posturing.

[@ulfsark78]

Just a week ago you were saying we were overreacting. Asmondgold has it right. Things like this, it's like an onion. If you find one layer that's fucked up, it's going to be fucked up all the way through.

[@ZoneofA]

This is so very disappointing. I planed to get this game on day 1, did not even mind price increase because inflation is what it is, everything is getting more expensive and games are not exception. I did not like neo pronouns but i was willing to turn the blind eye to it because I thought that was MS mandate that passably will it not even be present in game localized for my east European market. But insane malicious gloating of that art director, openly barging how is engaging in gender and race discrimination in employment and how they deliberately design the game to insult and offend their audience, relay crossed the line. Not only I am not buying Avowed, I'm not buying any other Obsidian product again unless there are some serious changes in that company. BTW I'm not right wing, I consider myself socialist for most of my life. I'm from E. Europe so don't care about US politics, Dem or Rep it is all same sht to me. This is not a partisan attack on Obsidian, this is about their brazen contempt for their costumers and about their unrepentant bigotry against specific demographics of people. I simply will not give money to a company that behaves in that way.

[@Victor-wi7vr]

I feel your pain. For me too, Avowed was the game I was most looking forward to, but trust me, there are other good games out there and I'm sure you'll find something to sink your teeth into.

[@caldex1557]

Yeah, at that timeframe comes Monster Hunter Wilds and KCD 2 out.

[@xXpakenXx]

No product is worth your dignity. I'm glad in some part that people are finally realizing they don't have to be beholden to these ideologues or the products they churn out. FOMO is an illusion, and you always have the option to go do something else. As a customer, you hold the power. Any individual game, or just video games in general, aren't so important that I can't just walk away from them when I see disgusting behavior like what's coming from this art director.

[@raketensven3127]

Delayed gratification became an ancient concept in the age of social media.

[@Qolos]

Matt going mask off just confirmed what was already a smart bet. That bet was, in accordance with the patterns of recent times, when you see a form of escapism getting injected with current day bullshit then the odds are that somewhere amidst the creatives is harbored a feeling of resentment or outright hatred for you the customer.

[@Katie-hb8iq]

I am sad. I refunded. I can't support this stuff. I didn't buy Dragon Age either, but I was really hoping Avowed would be different. I'm just playing Japanese games now. The western game industry can fall for all i care. Other than Path of Exile 2, I think everything else in the west is a lost cause now. I have no faith in any of it now.

[@mrmurdock6994]

no to forced pronouns, no to masculine females, no to weird characters. no to woke in Avowed.

[@heartless2147]

Condemning him and giving an apology is not enough, they have to fire him. Matt is clearly unhinged and lacks empathy, the only response to someone like that in charge of a piece of entertainment is concrete consequences. He'll whine and complain online afterward naturally, but that is what blocking and blacklisting is for.

[@thomasace2547]

The game was starting to look good Then you get designers forcing pronouns and saying that it’s WOKE to piss people off like Elon Musk How the hell do these people get to be in charge?

[@ProsperinoG]

Larry Fink.

[@acdcljb]

Those two examples are not the biggest issue here. Insulting your customer base is much, much worse. You CAN live with pronouns and I do not care about Musk’s feelings at all when he can wipe his tears with millions of dollars.

[@MeltonCrest]

@@acdcljb You can also live with cancer...until it eats you alive.

[@FoldUpJohn]

Yeah I get the distinct impression Musk doesn't really give a shit about gaming he got really weird and threw in with the cross burning crowd when one of his kids came out as trans like go to therapy bro, A grammar choice in a video game that isn't even out yet is not a good reason to lose your shit@@acdcljb

[@FoldUpJohn]

To be fair pretty much all video games have either a gender choice or a pronoun choice whichever seems like a really silly thing to get worked up over grammar doesn't care about your personal politics and you're never going to convince a reasonable person that it's a bad thing to have more customization options in a role-playing game 🤷

[@perry7416]

This whole situation is perplexing. Matt managed to singlehandedly destroy a lot of people's hopes for the game. Myself included. I am a huge cRPG fan, but will still purchase and play aRPGs provided they interest me, which Avowed did, at least before all of this. I am not an individual who leans too far in either the left or right in terms of politics, so i can usually tolerate a little woke here and there (if it's not pandering/hitting me over the head). Consequently, I didn't make too much of a fuss when it was revealed that there would be pronouns. However, when taking into account the recent events, i think I will omit making this purchase. As always, I love the videos.

[@connieellerbe-maycock7115]

Oh no, it is okay, My Clan Blacks, Whites, and Latinos all agreed that we are not buying this game. I will be playing Kingdom Come and Monster Hunter in Feb of 2025. Obsidian can go kick rocks just like Ubisoft.

[@Rambletripe1]

Your comments echo my thoughts. Not much more I can add.

[@AlecFortescue]

Let's just ignore this garbage game and let them shut down. This isn't the studio that made Kotor 2, New Vegas or even First Pillars and Tyranny.

[@Frencho9]

Yup all those titles had Chris Avellone working on them and writing a good story doing great wordlbuilding. He left Obsidian and now that place is a woke circus!

[@RebeccaRuth-d2t]

I'm sorry. This really sucks. I hold Microsoft responsible more then Obsidian, but that's just me. The market seems to be shifting to Western game developers and America is losing it's entire franchise. That is not okay. Big changes are coming I believe.

[@cadis4257]

I always said it was over when this company got bought by Microsoft. At that point the wokeness was terminal

[@raketensven3127]

It's really annoying that we have to keep track of this kind of stuff, or which employee works where, only in order to be able to play a decent game and not waste our time and money. Annoying af.

[@nonottim]

Huge respect for talking about this even though I'm sure many of us would much rather be eagerly waiting for the release of Avowed but here we are. I feel like with some much of this "woke" discourse around the gaming space right now it's too easy for people to be thrown into one side or the other but at the end of the day - we just want to enjoy games without all of this bullshit. How brazenly stupid is Matt to publicly say something like that ESPECIALLY as someone in his professional position, let alone as a person in society. What kind of backwards world are we in where his views are respected and looked to be represented at any capacity. I imagine there's people involved in the company who don't share Matt's views and will become subject to collateral damage because of his stupidity. Sheesh, what a mess.

[@exterminatus_now]

Spell&Shield, I know you aren't into the whole culture ware thing, but maybe now you are seeing why many have been unwillingly dragged into it. Reality is like a burning building and games are the fire escape, except now the fire escape leads to Hell.

[@spellandshield]

I have always seen that. We all draw the line at different places.

[@thomasneret2043]

What do you mean hell ? i think you mean Satan himself in the ninth circle "treason".

[@Caladir]

The saddest thing is that what that developer did, is killed Avowed before it even came out. It won't recieve honest chance. I love Pillars and Eora but I feel like they really do everything they can, to put me off. I don't know if you seen this, but Chris Avelon said on his X, that the Director of Pillars 1 and 2, refused or didn't want to work on Avowed. The game had very different plans when that teaser came out years ago. But got re-made and project was in hell. Funny trivia there were talks or ideas to put this game in early-access seeing what BG3 did.

[@Dxwill10]

I genuinely hope you don't take this as a personal failure or anything of the sort on your part. Those of us with hundreds of hours in PoE 1 and 2 utterly relate to your passion for the universe of this once great franchise. You defended the game in that video based on merit, objective grounds. As for the disappointment all this has brought, personally, re-watching the all the Exodus stuff out there has helped me get over the fact Avowed is dead.

[@t-rexreximus359]

It’s also incredibly selfish of him to knowingly fan the flames of online drama only months before this game releases! However much he may think his views are morally correct - there is still a material consequence to provoking fans that don’t share his views (with his recent tweets) & its Obsidian & all his colleagues that will suffer financially (after YEARS of work) as a consequence of his ego & social vanity. He is not standing up against a clear moral wrongdoing, it’s instead a subjective view of what should be included in fantasy games. It’s his opinion. Imo, it’s reckless & stupid of him to potentially trade the bonuses of his colleagues or even their jobs (if the game flops) just to publicly chastise those that don’t share his opinions so close to launch. Ultimately, I really hope Avowed does well because it was made by lots of people & it should be judged on its own merits, but his outburst was selfish & narcissistic - & imo he should apologise for the sake of the game. I will personally still play it, but many may not if this unneeded drama is left to snowball on social media. End of rant. 😅

[@briandaniels2408]

Im gonna reiterate my comments from other videos. THIS channel is GREAT! cmon 20k subscribers! Looking forward to POE 2!!

[@GuiPaim]

Any competent video essay quotes exactly what he said and the context, just saying. Seems like you don't want to provide adequate information.

[@spellandshield]

Bruh, just google it or watch one of the dozen videos about it on youtube.

[@Ukayeah]

Tyranny ost is on point 😢

[@yourassk1n6]

Have you seen a game called "The Wayward Realms"? I believe it was stated to be released in 2025 in early access, however, almost any significant release is delayed nowadays. For me, easly the most anticipated announced game

[@Druller-y9p]

Thanks once more for giving us a voice Spell&Shield. I deeply hope some developers listens to it. I think a lot of what we see currently is the result of the culture war that started getting out of control back around 2016. Games take a lot of time to make and the current direction seems to be echoing the woke wave from back then. I remember hearing that Dustborn was directly inspired by 2016 according to it's developers as an example. It will likely take some years but hopefully the current reaction to this devolution of art will lead to better games and art when some years have passed.

[@jaidev777]

I don’t understand them. They watch a hundred other previous studios run headfirst into a brick wall and kill their game - and say “Hey we should run headfirst into the brick wall!”

[@SomeCanine]

It's not just unprofessional. It's illegal.

[@cirescythe]

This.

[@J.C.O.B]

Why is it illegal?

[@SomeCanine]

@@J.C.O.B Refusing to hire people because of their race is illegal.

[@csam9167]

I think that the problem with real world politic is that the people only do it to mock their adversary , they dont let the choice of what to choose or try to understand their adversary. That make it pretentious , vindicative , and pitiful

[@TheRagingRayn]

An apology won't mean shit when you know it's disingenuous and forced.

[@Ragmon1]

Let them spout their narcissistic BS on social media... makes it easier to identify the crazies.

[@Linklic]

You have my utmost respect for taking the time to address the situation in a level-headed manner, especially as the timing of Matt's little tirade kind of left you with some egg on your face. It's always best to be optimistic about the things you like without actually sticking your hand into the fire for them, as doubling down and blinding defending literally anything can backfire and reduce your credibility to nothing, so kudos!

[@tripletrollface]

These people are relentless in their destruction of well-loved franchises. How many have already been, and how many more to come will be, sacrificed on their altar ?

[@Kross415]

As usual, having woke stuff, even if superficial, is a good indicator of what kind of people are making the game and the quality you should expect from the final product.

[@paulappleton9666]

I admire your principals in opting to possibly forgo Avowed in light of both the art director's foolish statement, and also the company's unwillingness to confront this negative PR bomb that he's dropped into their laps.

[@Arcantropolo]

I think what is the saddest thing at all (and this is coming from someone who has a more right wing perspective), Pillar's universe allowed for the existence of 'gender' identity due to aspects in the universe such as the operations of the Wheel and awakening, where a soul becomes aware of its previous life. However, the approach taken by the Art director essentially burned the potential for the story to be taken seriously, as well as the entire game.

[@miller42]

In a way I'm not surprised that the studio hired toxic people like him, after all it's a Microsoft studio, they all have embraced that disrupting ideology. They don't want the players to escape reality for a few hours.

[@Jaime-Lyon]

I agree with you 100 percent, i could overlook the pronouns but i won't overlook such bad behaviour from senior staff. Also the fact that that there has been no statement from Obsidian regarding this i find extremely telling. I'm utterly heartbroken, first the Dragonage series is ruined and now Pillars of Eternity most likely too. I dont know why its so hard to get good fantasy rpg's where choices matter, i just wished i liked action rpg's but i don't. New Arc line looks promising at least, Lots of love from Jaime and Nick

[@Rapunzel879]

Staying silent on the infistation of radical left politics in video games was never going to be a winning strategy. Had the backlash to the wokification of video games been greater, perhaps we wouldn't have gotten DA the Failguard, or had devs openly and regularly express their disdain and contempt for their customers.

[@myvalut5214]

Bro, the way your voice carries that deep sadness ,it's so heavy, I can genuinely feel your pain.

[@mattmartin6493]

Michael Jordan said republicans buy shoes too, when he declined to endorse a politician. This becomes more relevant by the day.

[@okamichamploo]

Before this drama I was ready to buy on release. Now, unless Obsidian takes action to counteract this, I've decided to what a year and decide then if the game is stull worth purchasing or not. It still may have potential so I'm not ruling out playing the game entirely, but I'm not about to give them the release numbers.

[@briandaniels2408]

I was a day 1 buy for this because im a huge fan of Obsidian in general. After this i am unfurtunatley no longer going to buy this game. Im honestly really bothered by this because this game looked rrally good to me. But alas, i cannot support a company like this that would insult its customers. I know Matt made the comment but im sure many others at Obsidian agree with him. And i agree Josh Sawyer retweeting that is another huge disappointment as i have always liked his work.

[@Rnngod]

Casey Hudson is closing his Studio, Avowed is giving terrible signs, Dragon age is dead, I fear that Mass Effect won't be any good either... These are Dark times.

[@Zerker6064]

Yeah I don't think they will apologize.Their pride is greater than Solas.

[@AretaicGames]

For may part, Avowed is now off my wishlist and on probation. If I see good reviews from people I trust, I'll consider picking it up on sale at some point. .

[@jaidev777]

I was kind of on the fence about still giving this game a chance, until I heard Josh Sawyer himself retweeted Matt’s crap.

[@thunderleg6605]

I know you believe this is all "silly politics." I see it as accelerated cultural destruction (intentionally by those who do not believe in the front-facing cause but are utilizing useful idiots). As such, these battles are our own 'game,' and the stakes could not be higher.

[@ProsperinoG]

You're goddamn right. These modern era ideologies have been researched and injected into the western society on purpose

[@raketensven3127]

Yep, fence sitting is over. For a couple of years already. He just doesn't want to acknowledge it and sit it out, basically.

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

Yeah, it really blew me away.

[@fringer6]

Never pre-order. Never pre-order. These companies all deserve only the stick. They will not turn from this path without agonizing correction.

[@grallonsphere271]

I wonder if that SBI employee, who said he wanted to see the gaming industry burn to the ground, didn't mean that.... Infiltrate, contaminate, insult the potential customers and watch the product lose sales, then the studio shut down. It is starting to look like a pattern...

[@Asankeket]

Do you really think such an apology might be forthcoming? I don't think so. These people are religious fanatics, they'd let the world burn before admitting they've been wrong. It would be really good if I was proven wrong, but I don't expect it. Also, I feel your pain. I, too, was very much looking forward to Avowed.

[@laranmithras7496]

You ignored the smoke and claimed it didn't matter. Then you got burned (as a fan) by the lunatic. Come to find out, the entire Obsidian team agrees with him. This is what you ignored in the hints. Hopium is a tough drug.

[@crozraven]

Guy need to be fired as this is a direct big insults to customers. Totally unprofessional & unprovoked. Imagine if it's the opposite of spectrum if some devs who said some that may or may not even be insulting to the woke & LGBT crowds. We all know the outcome would be either a resign or straight up firing.

[@ProbusVerus]

Furthermore people who complained about this guy on X to Obsidian got blocked by their page. At the end of the day the intransigent side is right. Zero tolerance, pronouns equal no buy. Your good will is honorable and commendable but these people are ideological activists.

[@BasicSneedEducation]

This game is COOKED

[@Dickens76]

When they think they can act like this they lose my business. Period.

[@Balorian]

I have beaten pillars 1 and 2 multiple times and loved the dark gritty aspects of the game and its topics. However, after everything that's happened with this game, I hope it fails and those that push these narratives are fired and the illegal hiring actions punished. They have lost a customer. Edit: I do hope you check out PoE 2, it really does look like an amazing game, and one that where the developers respect gamers and are themselves gamers.

[@df6597]

This just proves where we are at in the modern era. Past deeds of these companies mean nothing. Every new game needs to be treated as if it is from a brand new and unknown developer. Let's be real, between games a large portion, if not the entirety, of the staff changes. It is, essentially, a completely different team, it may as well be a new studio. The only thing that could hold a studio to some kind of cohesive theme is if those values are carried and enforced as a core part of the company, and that only lasts until someone with a different view takes the reins.

[@MalakiaLaGattaNera]

I have zero interest in Avowed and therefore I wasn't really following its coverage or development aside from the occasional general gaming news, but when I heard about the absurd comments this guy made my thoughts immediately went to you. Don't waste your time and money with this game if the world and lore mean a lot to you and keep enjoying the old titles for what they were: games made by competent people who have moved on... and you'd do better to follow their example and move on too.

[@katalinkoszegine4268]

Just wish I didn't have this pain behind my ribs during the video. I feel sorry for everybody who wanted to play Avowed as much as you. Thank you for speaking up and sharing your thoughts.

[@aurex8937]

My main issue is really that the game looks janky and inferior to Skyrim on pretty much every level. The woke is also an issue, of course.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2077]

Literally all bro had to do was not say anything.

[@aelreth-]

I'm thankful I didn't pre-order Avowed using the method I used for Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2. Otherwise I couldn't have gotten my refund.

[@Mierezkal]

I wonder how other Obsidian devs feel about it - I can only imagine that at least some of them aren't mentally ill and are pretty disappointed that all their hard work is about to be dismissed out of hand because of one idiot in their midst. Can't help but be a bit happy than my personal favourite writer in the industry (Chris Avellone, his Kotor 2 is still my favourite videogame story of all time) pushed against at least some of this bullshit.

[@carnivorehitman]

Perfect video and very reasonable position. Thanks for it! 🙏🏻

[@nelsons714]

I was really hyped for this just last week. Hope someone a bit mature at the company takes charge and apologizes

[@MrBikboi]

Can't wait for KCD 2 to absolutely smoke this game into oblivion, wouldn't even torrent this game.

[@epsiloneka3612]

I feel exactly the same, 100%. I have so many good memories from Obsidian games. But I fear the day I’ll have to let go of that name, just like I did with BioWare. I’ve removed Avowed from my wishlist, and I’m sad that I had to do it.

[@Antrolf]

I've enjoyed pillars 1 multiple times, and the sequel as well although I didn't like it as much. I did look forward to Avowed a long time, but I will not buy it. I'm very tired of these things and do not see how it'll change without speaking through the wallet.

[@marcogiordanella7795]

Loved PoE and PoE2 but will be skipping now.

[@ChattySisa]

I can completely understand your frustration. This was the same with Dragon Age 'The Failguard' for me this year and it doesn't look good either with some other game franchises I really love. It's continuing to baffle me throughout this year why the studios and their representatives behave this way online towards their customer base even though they can clearly see how many games flopped this and last year because of all these interjected politics in the games. The gamers are quite fed up and on top of that now even being insulted by the studios. How do they think this is going to end for them & their games? 🤷‍♀ It seems to me there are no longer any people left with functioning brain cells in some of these studios...

[@zoltanschweifer4304]

I tryed to link something. Spell&shield mentioned in a previous video that Dragon age origins cannot be remaked. But my wife found that the remake is comming out in 2025 it's even listed on Instant Gaming.