Studio ArenaNet fires two Guild Wars 2 writers after the two engaged in an online Twitter confrontation with an ArenaNet-partnered YouTuber named Deroir.
ArenaNet, the studio behind the successful MMORPG Guild Wars 2, has fired two of its writers after a Twitter confrontation between them and an ArenaNet-partnered YouTuber named Deroir. Writers Jessica Price and Peter Fries have been let go as of today, with ArenaNet releasing the following statement:
“We strive to cultivate an atmosphere of transparency around the making of our games and encourage our teams to be involved in open, positive discussion with our community. Earlier this week, two of our employees failed to uphold our standards of communication with our players and fans, and they are no longer with the company.”
The controversy began on July 3 when Jessica Price was discussing the unique challenges of writing for MMORPGs. YouTuber Deroir then chimed in with his opinion on the matter, to which Price responded on July 4:
Price then sent out another tweet, wherein she insulted Deroir, and then followed it up with another:
Price’s tweets proved controversial and garnered attention from many Twitter users. This prompted Price’s fellow Guild Wars 2 writer Peter Fries to jump into the conversation with a series of tweets that have since been deleted. However, cached versions of the tweets have been saved online, and the text can be found right here:
As some may expect, Fries’s tweets proved similarly controversial, with some pointing out that Twitter is not a private forum. To the contrary, Twitter is a very public social media site, and part of its purpose is for people to post things and then have others respond.
Regardless, some may feel as though ArenaNet overreacted when it chose to fire both Price and Fries. The company hasn’t offered a more detailed explanation beyond its aforementioned statement, but it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t the first time Price has posted something controversial on social media.
After the death of YouTuber TotalBiscuit back in May, Price tweeted the following:
It’s unclear if Price’s past social media posts contributed to her firing, but according to her, ArenaNet never spoke with her about her social media presence.
In the meantime, Price hasn’t posted on Twitter since July 5. Fries, meanwhile, posted a tweet earlier today that shows the disturbing harassment he has experienced since the controversy began.
Guild Wars 2 is out now for PC.
