This week is Game Developers Conference 2023, and Facepunch Studios, the company behind the Rust game, had planned to host a special event near the area for fans living in San Francisco.
This means that fans would have had the opportunity to meet and converse with the game’s creators in a relaxed setting at the event, which would have occurred at a coffee shop.
However, Facepunch Studios regrettably tweeted that it had decided to cancel the event due to “an IRL threat we must take seriously.”
The business continued by stating that email is the best way for fans to get in touch with them to “talk shop,” share portfolios, or receive feedback.
“It is important to remember that the developers are indeed human. When threats arise we make their safety number 1. We would love to see what you make! [email protected],” a tweet about the situation reads.
Producer of Rust Alistair McFarlane acknowledged “threats to kill” team members in an interview with PC Gamer.
Facepunch Studios was forced to completely cancel the event because the specifics of it had been made public. McFarlane continued by saying that “community facing staff see threats daily” and that threats of violence against the developers are regrettably frequent.
It's important to remember the developers are indeed humans. When threats arise we make their safety #1.
We'd love to see what you make!
[email protected]— Rust (@playrust) March 15, 2023
Team members have apparently been forced to even “change personal details” as a result of doxxing because things have gotten that serious.
Dealing with this kind of thing, according to McFarlane, “often takes a heavy toll on their mental health.”
Due to social media, gamers now have access to game developers on a level that was previously unimaginable.
Numerous advantages have resulted from this, including the ability for game studios to receive immediate feedback on their creations and identify the most effective ways to make adjustments and enhancements to their games.
Sadly, too many times, players have abused these accessible channels of communication, intimidating and harassing development teams when things don’t go their way as well.
The whole situation is very depressing, and those who make these threats are the ones who ruin it for everybody else as the current situation proves.
It’s likely that many fans who were excited about the event this week will no longer be able to attend.