I wasn’t going to talk about this but there’s a trend that needs to stop. The disrespect of fanbases by executives and employees is getting a bit out of hand. These people really are getting way too comfortable with their fans.

There’s controversy brewing around Ghost of Yotei. The main character’s voice actor is a big time activist in the rainbow community.  There was uncertainty and pushback by Ghost of Tsushima fans, concerning the use of political ideologies being used in the game.

The first Ghosts game had a bit of agenda pushing. It wasn’t a problem as it didn’t get in the way of what the game was trying to do or story. There’s rightful fear that Ghost of Yotei will turn into another franchise that abandons its great beginnings.

Then we have ex PlayStation head Shawn Layden weighing in on Twitter. He told people 

 This is something you never say to the fanbase. As we’ve seen with other studios and publishers, saying this has caused lower preorders, lower sales and people getting fired.

When Layden was head of PlayStation, he never said this. Why would he say this say this now and not thinking about how it could affect his former employer? Were the rumors of a power struggle with him and Jim Ryan true? Does Sony care to address this or do they not care either?

How does a person feel fine disrespecting their fanbase? Notice they would never tell that to women or rainbow rhyders. In his profile, he has flags for those groups ahead of the American and Japanese flags. But it’s fine for them to talk like that to the people who play their games. Could it be because they’re getting money to cater to non-gamers? Would he tell fans to do the same for a new game by Tencent?

Gamers should not take this kindly. Devs and executives need to be reminded that gamers are their revenue and paychecks. Will checks from other organizations be able to makeup for losses in money and fan trust? Understand the power of your wallet.