Epic Games criticises ‘disturbing harassment’ of its development partners

Epic Games has released a statement criticising the abuse that’s been aimed at some of its development partners.

In a blog post, the company said harassment of companies partnering with Epic was becoming “a disturbing trend”.

It highlighted the case of indie studio Glumberland, which said it’s been left “devastated” by the reaction to the announcement that the PC version of Ooblets will be a timed Epic Games store exclusive.

According to Glumberland, the studio has received “thousands if not tens of thousands of hateful, threatening messages across every possible platform nonstop” since the Epic deal was announced.

Epic also claimed that people have been spreading false information about games including fake screenshots, videos and technical analysis.

The company’s statement in full reads: “We at Epic Games have often shared our views about the game business and companies in it, and we support the entire game community’s right to speak freely and critically about these topics, including the topic of Epic, our products, and our store. When everyone shares their earnest views, the best ideas ultimately prevail.

“The announcement of Ooblets highlighted a disturbing trend which is growing and undermining healthy public discourse, and that’s the coordinated and deliberate creation and promotion of false information, including fake screenshots, videos, and technical analysis, accompanied by harassment of partners, promotion of hateful themes, and intimidation of those with opposing views.

“Epic is working together with many game developers and other partners to build what we believe will be a healthier and more competitive multi-store world for the future. We remain fully committed, and we will steadfastly support our partners throughout these challenges. Many thanks to all of you that continue to promote and advocate for healthy, truthful discussion about the games business and stand up to all manners of abuse.”

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney recently defended the company’s strategy of signing PC exclusives for its digital storefront, claiming it’s the only way to challenge Steam.