Tabletop Simulator developer Berserk Games has announced a £7,312 ($10,000) donation to a trans advocacy group and confirmed that it’s keeping global chat down for good, following controversy over claims of transphobic and homophobic moderation.
In a statement shared yesterday (January 14), Berserk Games has said that it has donated £7,312 ($10,000) to National Center for Transgender Equality “to show our commitment to bettering ourselves as well as supporting and empowering the LGBTQ+ community”.
In the statement, Berserk Games apologised for “hurting the Tabletop Simulator community especially those from the LGBTQ+,” and said that “we understand that our silence may have been perceived as inaction”.
— Tabletop Simulator (@TabletopSim) January 14, 2022
This follows Tabletop Simulator being flooded with both transphobic and pro-LGBTQ+ reviews, which was caused by a moderator on the game repeatedly kicking a player for discussing her LGBTQ+ identity. This led to negative reviews accusing the game of transphobic and homophobic moderation, although Tabletop Simulator also received numerous positive reviews praising the developer’s perceived stance on LGBTQ+. Many of these positive reviews openly including transphobic slurs and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.
Berserk Games’ latest statement – as well as the donation to National Center for Transgender Equality – seemingly aims to distance the studio from members of the community.
Berserk Games has also shared that it will not be bringing back global chat as it has “fallen short” of its standards. Furthermore, the studio has said that it will be “running a series of articles on our blog to showcase the great work on TTS created by members of the LGBTQ+ community”.
Tabletop Simulator will also be reforming its moderation policies “to ensure that everyone has an inclusive place to enjoy our great hobby of tabletop gaming”.
In other news, Among Us developer InnerSloth has announced a Scream crossover, with Ghostface cosmetics set to arrive soon.
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