You’ve probably heard of Rust, the true star of survival games on Steam. Well we learned a few days ago that its developer, the Facepunch studio, has decided to cancel its participation in a major public event due to a threat received recently.
You’ve probably heard of Rust, a true star of survival games on Steam. Well we learned a few days ago that its developer, the Facepunch studio, has decided to cancel its participation in a major public event due to a threat received recently.
What young teenager passionate about gaming has never dreamed of becoming a video game developer? Only, the reality of the job is often much less idyllic than one might imagine. Working on game development often means spending years on a project that may just go unnoticed. Luckily for the little guys at Facepunch Studios, we can’t honestly say that’s the case for Rusta survival game that has been a huge success on Steam since its early access at the end of 2013, then its official release in 2018. On the other hand, these developers have other worries to manage, since they have been the subject of a IRL threat.
The security of the developers of this Steam box in danger?
Like all communities very involved in a popular game, that of Rust can be particularly aggressive. This is particularly the case with regard to developers, when players are not satisfied. But we still hope that it is not some of them who are at the origin of the threat that the members of Facepunch Studio have received. If it doesn’t say in black and white that it’s a death threat, it most likely is. The developers think they are in danger, to the point that they have decided to cancel their participation in a major video game event in California.
This is not a statement we are happy to make.
Due to an IRL threat that we must take very seriously, we will have to cancel our meeting at the GDC in San Francisco next week.
Developers, but above all human beings
Unfortunately for the most curious, the studio’s tweet does not give more details. It is therefore not known whether the culprits are known, nor the reasons for this threat. It is also not known whether a complaint has been filed. Either way, developers will be absent from the Game Developers Conference. This is an event that will be held in San Francisco from March 20 to 24, 2023. In a second tweet, the studio reminded everyone that the safety of its developers, human beings, was paramount.
It is important to remember that developers are very human. When threats arise, we make their security our #1 priority.
