Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment has taken to Twitter to express frustrations at the continued levels of harassment its development team is dealing with.
The statement did not seem to link to a specific incident but instead looked to be focused on the fact its team members have been receiving higher levels of threats and harassment from the community.
Numerous game studios have experienced similar situations with staff members having to deal with harassing messages and sometimes even going as far as receiving death threats.
Respawn gained support from other studios such as Bungie, who replied to the post saying that standing against toxicity and harassment will take everyone working together to build healthier communities. Santa Monica Studio’s Cory Barlog also showed support on the post as someone who has spoken out on this issue in the past.
Zero tolerance
Respawn stated that input from the community is always welcome, however the line between giving constructive feedback and harassing the development team cannot be crossed. The statement went on to say “We want to remind our players that we have a zero tolerance policy for threats and the harassment of our developers. We will take appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of our team”.
Some members of the community have expressed that they feel the studio has been lacking in its communication with fans but the statement given by Respawn finished by saying that they love hearing feedback and that they will continue to work alongside its community to create a respectful and collaborative environment.
Apex Legends is currently available to play on mobile, following release it became the most downloaded iPhone game in 60 countries and during its first week player spending reached $4.8 million. Electronic Arts who own Respawn made our top 50 game makers list.
