Social media has forever changed the way the gaming press functions, especially in the case of the passionate indie developer community. Interviews are requested through Facebook, sometimes administered via Reddit AMA’s, and quotes are now lifted from Twitter. Developers are more accessible than ever before, and in the case of Phil Fish, more vulnerable to scrutiny than ever. Recently, the unprecedented tussle between Phil Fish and Marcus “AnnoyedGamer” Beer on Twitter materialized into the very public cancellation of Fish’s sequel to his wildly successful game Fez, and apparently his departure from game development entirely. Now Fish’s peers and industry journalists are jumping in, expressing opinions about his departure and the heated Twitter thread that caused it.
Probably the response to get the most legs across the internet came by way of a passionate letter from Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski.
“The industry needs people like you to speak with their hearts before their brains because I’m tired of hearing the PR —approved appropriate response . . . Come back, Phil. We miss you already,” wrote Bleszinski.
Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield supported the letter whole heartedly, deeming Bleszinski’s words as a “good example on dealing with haters on the internet” in a tweet.
A more neutral response came from Destructoid’s Jim Sterling, whose game industry observations and brash vocalization is seen by some as the tone Marcus Beer has tried to strike in his Annoyed Gamer routine.
“Neither of them need my advice,” wrote Sterling. “But again, speaking as a guy who used to get himself into these sort of slanging matches on the regular, all I can say is I’m 100 percent happier and less stressed out professionally now that I go out of my way to avoid people who want to have fights (or just retweet the funny ones so *other people* go and fight them while I block them). It can be difficult not to bite back, and I still even find myself engaging it for a while now and then, but on the whole, mellowing out and learning not to step into the shit heap when I know, deep down, that’s exactly what I’m stepping into (and you always *really* know), was one of the best things I did for my long-term job satisfaction and overall happiness in what I do.”
IGN’s Daniel Krupa voiced his opinion on Twitter, saying, “I’m sad to hear about @PHIL_FISH stopping Fez 2. I understand his pressures, and it’s unfortunate to hear he quit”
Ever vocal, and often impeccably timed, Michael Pachter inserted some comedic relief during the debacle, tweeting, “I would like to be between @AnnoyedGamer and @JimSterling talking about stuff over some Scotch. Let’s do a Bonus Round on my boat!!!!”
Others like SourceFed host Meg Turney posted a spit fire YouTube video expressing how she “really feels about Phil Fish leaving the industry.” Turney seems to give a no-nonsense response to Fish, tearing the developer apart and calling his actions childlike. She also makes sure to remind the gaming community of his famous slam on Japanese game developers.
While Fish cited factors beyond his Twitter tussle with Beers, his abrupt leave of absence from game development seems to revolve around how the gamer community can be very opinionated, and sometimes brutally so. Yet by essentially breaking down in a very public manner, he’s managed to generate an influx of support, and that could reignite his faith in the very same community he’s currently claiming to loathe. Or, we can hope this is all a Joaquin Phoenix-style hoax, wait for the punchline, and in the meantime keep holding out for Fez II.
