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The developer behind Yooka-Laylee, a Kickstarter-funded spiritual successor to the beloved Banjo-Kazooie series plans to remove the Youtuber Jontron (Jon Jafari) from the game's cast of voice actors via a Day 1 update after his recent series controversial tweets regarding ethnic minorities in America. Jontron was always a big, vocal fan of the series and was invited to collaborate on the project back in February 2015. Many might say that he was pivotal in reviving the interest in Banjo-Kazooie through his content, both on Game Grumps and his own Youtube channel. Playtonic explained their position in an interview with Gameindustry.biz:

"We recently became aware of comments made by voice artist JonTron after development on Yooka-Laylee had been completed (...) JonTron is a talented video presenter who we were initially, two years ago, happy to include as a voice contributor in our game. However, in light of his recent personal viewpoints we have made the decision to remove JonTron's inclusion in the game via a forthcoming content update. We would like to make absolutely clear that we do not endorse or support JonTron's personal viewpoints and that, as an external fan contributor, he does not represent Playtonic in any capacity. Playtonic is a studio that celebrates diversity in all forms and strives to make games that everyone can enjoy. As such, we deeply regret any implied association that could make players feel anything but 100% comfortable in our game worlds, or distract from the incredible goodwill and love shown by our fans and Kickstarter backers."

This recent development in the Jontron controversy raises an important question regarding Free Speech. I can fully understand Playtonic's position - they're distancing themselves from Jontron in order to prevent any damage to their brand. On the other hand, one could argue that Jontron is free to voice his views on his own platform and shouldn't be penalised for them elsewhere.

Naturally this is a very controversial issue, so I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the matter. What's your opinion? Tell us in comments below!

Update: Jontron acknowledged the decision via his Twitter and although he finds it unfortunate, he understands it and wishes the developers a successful launch.

"Unfortunate to see Playtonic remove me from Yooka Laylee, but I understand their decision. I wish them the best with their launch!"

~https://www.twitter.com/JonTronShow/status/845038284967493638

Source (Gameindustry.biz)

 

[Zense]

I was replying to the post immediately above me. I just don't think it's fair to judge a company based on the irrelevant opinions of an employee that aren't being expressed in relation to said company. If a company chooses to make itself a social entity and tie their socio-political stances to their business, then that's one thing (a'la Chik'fil'a, which even then doesn't bother me), but if I say something opinionated in my own personal time, and I'm not working ~IN~ PR, and I'm not saying 'company I work for supports my opinion' or anything like that, and I'm not doing it while INSIDE their store... then fuck off. People can have a private life while still respecting a company they work for. *shrug*

This never should have had any link created between the two entities involved.

I completely agree with you, but sadly that's not how the world works, or maybe it's better to say humans (some of them at least).

 

[jimbo13]

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and the case which you mentioned is currently pending. But you already knew that.

Incidentally, where in that case did you see a "3 gendered transabled leather daddy who has to spank himself 5 times a day in front of the customers"? Are you hiding something?

I wasn't lawyering at you. I was speaking of ethics, I feel Jon Tron is entitled to the same legal protections against discrimination as any of the bullshit liberals advocate. Personally I favor none as freedom of thought and association should be absolute. However as long as liberals are going to impose mandatory inclusion I see no ethical reason Jon Tron can be discriminated against and fired.

 

[Foxi4]

Also, it's pronounced "My mistake." Don't embrace ghetto-speak.

ARE YOU INFRINGING UPON MY FREE SPEECH?! YAARGHT!

 

[Zense]

Isn't it worse to refuse to play a game because of the actions of a single contracted worker or even volunteer than to judge the developer?

For all I know the whole goddamn Playtonic dev team shares Jontron's opinions. The difference is that they didn't say them publicly in tweets or whatever. Their official statement could easily just be them lying and being politically correct.

 

[TobiasAmaranth]

ARE YOU INFRINGING UPON MY FREE SPEECH?! YAARGHT!

Hardly! I'm advocating for value in intelligence and respect for the English language. Or R U a idjut? ;(

 

[Foxi4]

For all I know the whole goddamn Playtonic dev team shares Jontron's opinions. The difference is that they didn't say them publicly in tweets or whatever. Their official statement could easily just be them lying and being politically correct.

To be fair, I also don't care what that opinion is - their job is to deliver a quality product, their views are of no interest to me. Now that they're dancing the tango however, it takes two to dance.

 

[Zense]

To be fair, I also don't care what that opinion is - their job is to deliver a quality product, their views are of no interest to me. Now that they're playing the tango however, it takes two to dance.

Yeah, it sucks when you get politics involved in gaming. I would have preferred these two things to stay separate, unless I'm consciously seeking out a politically themed game, which this game clearly isn't.

 

[Foxi4]

Hardly! I'm advocating for value in intelligence and respect for the English language. Or R U a idjut? ;(

I'm not American, so the concept of ghetto-speak is alien to me. "My bad" is just a cutesy way of acknowledging that I made a mistake, at least where I live. Consider it a mea culpa, if you like your speech fancy.

 

[jimbo13]

No ones missing the nuance of free speech not entitling you to fire someone.

The problem is the laws currently in place not being equitable, with the thousand different "protected" victim classes most people cannot fathom an ethical argument that you can publicly discriminate and fire someone for having a protectionist stance when many of these white knighting company's which are publicly traded openly support the extreme depths of liberalism.

99% of the these liberals who are okay with this shit themselves over Citizens United and companies using their clout to promote their values when they are conservative.

 

[KingVamp]

Once again, I feel the opposite on this. Couldn't every game ever be called a cash grab when their primary goal is to make money? Is creativity truly lost on recreating properties in a new fashion utilizing the same measures that created the original property so long ago? Is it that wrong or that terrible to cater to an audience that has been starved of content like this because of the constant AAA in your face open world spiral we have fallen down in the past couple of years? Yookalaylee is the most genuinely unique game to be coming out these recent months despite its familiarity to the property all of those devs worked on YEARS AGO.
In the past 3 months, we have had 3 huge RPG's come out almost back to back. Horizon, Zelda, and Mass Effect. Nioh wasn't far off that trail either. Huge sprawling action RPG's with open world elements and hour long time sinks all hoping to gobble up your money based on buzz words of freedom and blah blah blah.
What is wrong with Yookalaylee coming out as a streamlined 3d platformer that we never really see anymore? Is this desperation for revival, or giving people what they've been longing for that other companies, quite frankly, are never going to give them again?

Is it dead creativity, or revitalized creativity? They still made dozens of original characters, original music using real composers, and poured all of their resources and development into crafting a really pretty game. I just don't see it as a cash-grab. If i did, I could apply those words to every property that has ever come out in the past decade because it could apply in anyway that I spun it.

I also disagree with Foxi, and even if it was 100% original by his standards, they probably would have still kicked him off. Nor do I think a game or anything on kickstarter is automatically a cash grab or deserving of disdain.

"3 gendered transabled leather daddy who has to spank himself 5 times a day in front of the customers"? Are you hiding something?

I thought that seem oddly specific.

Playtronic are fully in their right to remove him. That said, I probably won't be buying it now. Don't want to support bigotted companies.

They removed him due to apparently racist comments that he said. That makes them bigoted?

Aren't you not doing the same thing to them, that they did to Jon. You aren't planning to buy the game because of what they did and said. As in, you aren't being bigoted yourself?

This actually reminds me of Blizzard's approach towards Overwatch and their never-ending campaign of trying to make it the ultimate PC PoC LGBTQ+ SJW #RESTOFTHEALPHABET game of all time. It started with Tracer's butt, which for some reason was controversial, and even then I was upset that they altered the product because of a couple snowflakes. The moment they realised that they had the eyes of the SJW community on them, more alterations, or "lore", as they call it followed suit. "Hey guys, did you know that Tracer is actually a lesbian?", "Hey! Did you know that Symmetra has autism?", "Are we diverse yet?" - it's shameless and disgusting, it reeks of blacksploitation from the 80's. People don't realise that their constant outrage was turned into a revenue stream. I just enjoyed the game because it was a good shooter, I don't need all this. In fact, it's making me like it less

Would it be shameless and disgusting if they didn't have or removed "PoC LGBTQ+ SJW #RESTOFTHEALPHABET" because "anti-sjws"?

 

[TobiasAmaranth]

I'm not American, so the concept of ghetto-speak is alien to me. "My bad" is just a cutesy way of acknowledging that I made a mistake, at least where I live. Consider it a mea culpa, if you like your speech fancy.

LOL No worries, I'm just razzing you about a pet peeve of mine. I've seen the onset of 'my bad', and seen how it was latched onto by the range of people from blase-idgaf dismissive attitudes to the street-urchin-class ghetto-dwellers. I feel like it started its roots in ebonics as a subtly rude way to say sorry-not-sorry to people. So I always try to personally say 'my mistake' as it's a much more genuine way to apologize for small infractions and such.

 

[Foxi4]

I also disagree with Foxi, and even if it was 100% original by his standards, they probably would have still kicked him off. Nor do I think a game or anything on kickstarter is automatically a cash grab or deserving of disdain.

Last month I reviewed a Kickstarter game called Torment: Tides of Numenera, and I loved it. It had a similar theme of a tormented protagonist, but it didn't try to be literally the same game. Everything about it was new and unique, from the setting to the story and the gameplay mechanics. I don't think your accusation, if it is one, is justified.

They removed him due to apparently racist comments that he said. That makes them bigoted?

Either you're accepting diversity or you're shunning those who have a different opinion - you can't do both simultaneously. Perhaps it's not bigoted, but it's definitely close-minded.

Aren't you not doing the same thing to them, that they did to Jon. You aren't planning to buy the game because of what they did and said. As in, you aren't being bigoted yourself?

See my post above about the relationship between companies and customers. The only effective way to communicate discontent is by voting with your wallet, anything else amounts to hypocrisy.

Would it be shameless and disgusting if they didn't have or removed "PoC LGBTQ+ SJW #RESTOFTHEALPHABET" because "anti-sjws"?

True diversity doesn't come on a big banner, it's not a big song and dance. I enjoyed the game for what it was and didn't give a shit about whether the characters were male, female, black or even machines and monkeys, I played them because they were fun and cool. By artificially and forcibly injecting a pseudo-narrative, you're spoiling that natural attachment. I didn't need to have my choices justified by a tearful circlejerk over diversity - it's all fake, it's pandering and it's making me sick. It's like a diversity seminar now, or a company programme that aims to reach an X% of employees of a given sex or race, or else the world will end, I guess. I thought Martin Luther King said specifically not to judge people by the colour of their skin, but the content of their character. Well, what are we doing now? We're judging them by the colour of their damned skin again, and for all the wrong reasons. "Please play as this new character, do notice that she's an ethnic minority which should be of interest to you because we're all for inclusiveness". Great, job well done, thanks, Blizzard! You really made a difference.

 

[UltraHurricane]

This actually reminds me of Blizzard's approach towards Overwatch and their never-ending campaign of trying to make it the ultimate PC PoC LGBTQ+ SJW #RESTOFTHEALPHABET game of all time. It started with Tracer's butt, which for some reason was controversial, and even then I was upset that they altered the product because of a couple snowflakes. The moment they realised that they had the eyes of the SJW community on them, more alterations, or "lore", as they call it followed suit. "Hey guys, did you know that Tracer is actually a lesbian?", "Hey! Did you know that Symmetra has autism?", "Are we diverse yet?" - it's shameless and disgusting, it reeks of blacksploitation from the 80's. People don't realise that their constant outrage was turned into a revenue stream. I just enjoyed the game because it was a good shooter, I don't need all this. In fact, it's making me like it less

ughhhh yeah, i can't stand when companies try to "diversify" (...gross) and put different people then me in MY vidja gamez, we're clearly the only kinds of people that should ever be catered to in this growing gobal industry

 

[Foxi4]

ughhhh yeah, i can't stand when companies try to "diversify" (...gross) and put different people then me in MY vidja gamez, we're clearly the only kinds of people that should ever be catered to in this growing gobal industry

See post above. The cast was great, I didn't need a justification hammered in for good measure. Diversity is subtle, not a trainwreck. If you want me to like your character, make it a fun, compelling character. I don't give a shit what colour it is, it could be purple for all I care, but if you make the colour of their skin, their sex or their orientation the cornerstone of their personality, what you're actually doing is stereotyping and creating a flat, two-dimensional character with only one defining trait. That's not diversity, that's Sesame Street, it's blackface for video games. It's not a difficult concept to grasp, really.

 

[sblast3]

People are taking this entire situation out of context. JonTron is not racist. He voted for Bernie in the primaries and voted for Obama twice. I've listened to his opinions about the election in a Psychicpebbles livestream after one of the debates, and I can tell he's fairly center-left like most people on the internet (I remember H3H3 joking in the twitch chat spamming JON IS A RACIST). It's a shame that Playtronic has to make this decision, but I understand why they need to from a business perspective. That destiny guy deserves no respect on the simple fact that he's DMCAing anyone on youtube who reuploads clips of the debate.

Watch the full debate yourself before making conclusions, don't trust recaps. Both of them said stupid things in the heat of the moment, who doesn't.

 

[UltraHurricane]

Watch the full debate yourself before making conclusions, don't trust recaps. Both of them said stupid things in the heat of the moment, who doesn't.

yeah, i mean who doesn't say that foreigners "dilute the gene pool" when they're angry amirite????

 

[Pacheko17]

He is a very good comedian that makes a video game comedy series (and some other things lately), and happened to make some very unfortunate comments bordering white supremacy in the late days.
I recommend you watch his channel, he has very good content, most of it somewhat old.

I don't see how he was white supremacist, I honestly don't understand that.

I think taking him off was pretty stupid, but the developers understand how things are nowadays, and they're not entirely wrong about it.
The fight against PC and for freedom of speech should continue, but while the enemy prevails, we have to be careful.

 

[sblast3]

yeah, i mean who doesn't say that foreigners "dilute the gene pool" when they're angry amirite????

Can you give a time stamp? I really want to understand why people are angry.

 

[UltraHurricane]

Can you give a time stamp? I really want to understand why people are angry.

there's like a whole mess of it right there https://archive.fo/rxG1l

keep in mind, this was from his OWN subreddit right after the debate

 

[sblast3]

there's like a whole mess of it right there https://archive.fo/rxG1l

keep in mind, this was from his OWN subreddit right after the debate

I don't see the "dilute the gene pool" comment, nor do I remember him saying said comment. Also, that lacks time stamps.