Double Fine's next Kickstarter stretch goal promises that the studio will cast Ghost of Yōtei star and beloved Dropout alum Erika Ishii if it can raise another $50,000. That might seem like a big get for a studio that just got shot out of the Xbox cannon, but the usual suspects are not taking the news well.
Replies were bombarded with harassment and enbyphobia, trotting out the usual, "Why did you say their? Is she a group?" talking point, like a wall of Buzz Lightyear toys repeating their stock phrase. Others ask how to un-back the project, some describe the announcement as a "threat," and then come the usual buzzwords: Erika Ishii is a "toxic activist," a "woke idiot," "Antifa terrorist," and a few blatantly racist descriptors we obviously won't repeat here. Understandably, Double Fine turned off the comments.
"Since this is the only platform where people can't seem to be normal about this, the comments have been locked," Double Fine posted on X. "We don't support harassment on our timeline in any form, hope that clears things up!"
That didn't stop people from insisting Erika wasn't facing harassment, claiming the comments were merely in disagreement with the casting choice despite their gender-fluid identity being mocked and ridiculed. And on top of all that, Double Fine's social media manager was called a "woke snowflake" (are we back in 2016?) and a "simpering b***h" among a slew of other insults. Again, understandable why they turned off comments.
As an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights and social justice causes, having helped fundraise for The Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline, and Color of Change, while also supporting the Hogwarts Legacy boycott (of which TheGamer likewise took part), unfortunately, Ishii is no stranger to this kind of abuse. When they were announced as the lead in Ghost of Yōtei, the internet similarly ignited in anger and anti-woke rhetoric.
Yet, odds are, you've played a game with Ishii and never noticed. They've appeared in Mortal Kombat, Destiny 2, World of Warcraft, and Cyberpunk 2077, proving themselves a talented actor with a portfolio to prove it, and Double Fine landing them for its first post-Xbox game is a huge get. The vocal outpouring of racist, bigoted, anti-woke comments on Double Fine's post might be suffocating in isolation, but it's only a very, very vocal corner of the internet. Look no further than Yōtei, which is often portrayed as a failure for Sucker Punch and PlayStation because of Ishii's casting and the game's female protagonist. In reality, it sold 3.3 million copies in its first month, outpacing Tsushima.
Double Fine, meanwhile, has already raised an impressive $550,000 for its first game. Sure, some people are belittling Double Fine for casting Ishii, even saying the studio deserved to be cast out of Xbox. But the Kickstarter counter is still ticking up.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/double-fine-erika-ishii-reaction/
