RPG writer Chris Avellone and the makers of Dying Light 2 have agreed to cut ties, after allegations surfaced online over Avellone’s conduct towards women.
Avellone, best known for his work on Divinity: Original Sin 2, the Fallout series, Planescape: Torment, and more recently Prey, Into the Breach, Jedi: Fallen Order and the Pillars of Eternity games, was working as the narrative designer on Techland’s upcoming zombie action-RPG. Avellone’s status was significant enough that he was given the position of announcing Dying Light 2 during Microsoft’s E3 2018 conference.
But in a statement this morning, the two parties have split ways.
Avellone came into the spotlight this week after multiple people aired their experiences and allegations of mistreatment, harassment and sexual abuse within the video games industry through social media. Avellone was accused of sending sexually explicit messages and making non-consensual advances to women, according to Gamasutra. Kotaku Australia has not verified the voracity of these claims.
Other studios have also issued clarifications about Avellone’s involvement in their projects over the last 24 hours. Paradox Interactive, publishers of the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, told Gamasutra that none of the content Avellone created for them would be used in the final game.
“Chris Avellone briefly worked with the Bloodlines 2 writing team early in the development of the game,” Paradox’s statement said. “Through an iterative creative process, however, none of his contributions remain in the game that Hardsuit Labs is continuing to develop.”
The Waylanders creators Gato Salvaje Studio issued a statement on Avellone’s involvement via Twitter. It said Avellone was employed as a “design contractor” and was no longer associated with the game or the studio.
The news follows a string of allegations that have surfaced over the last few days. Following claims against partnered Twitch streamers, Twitch announced they would be “actively looking into the accounts” raised. A former business development executive for Mixer also issued charges of racism against his former company, prompting Xbox head Phil Spencer to directly reach out.
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