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    Alcaste19Jason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:10pm

    Haven’t read yet, just wanted to say: You’ve done it again, Jason. This is the kind of investigative journalism that we need in the gaming industry, and you continue to hit home.

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      Jim LaynorAlcaste19
      9/12/19 12:31pm

      Lol you can't say that without reading it first. 

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      CrimszonAlcaste19
      9/12/19 12:38pm

      It was a great read and definitely the investigative journalism that gaming needs more of, but I do agree that you should probably read the article prior to making that statement lol.

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    PsychoNun (Is actually a dude)Jason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:22pm

    Wow, Tyrone certainly sounds like a horrifying asshole to work with.

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      spad13PsychoNun (Is actually a dude)
      9/12/19 12:28pm

      He sounds like the kind of Alpha douche bag who desperately craves power and should never be given any

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      eXtoferPsychoNun (Is actually a dude)
      9/12/19 1:03pm

      The OC has a reputation of being a very conservative and racist place to live and work in SoCal. That doesn’t justify his actions, but I wonder if that has anything to do with him being the way he is. It’s gross either way.

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    Roto13Jason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:22pm

    Of all the “game development company is actually a cesspool” stories, this is the least surprising to me. Well, maybe second least surprising, behind Rockstar.

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      LlTEBRlTERoto13
      9/12/19 1:47pm

      Oh i don’t know, I’m going to have to throw my hat into the ring for the culture of sexism at Riot Games.

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      Mr. GOH!Roto13
      9/12/19 2:34pm

      Why is this the least surprising? Has there been reporting or rumors before this story that it was the case?

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    Balanced BreakfastJason Schreier
    9/12/19 5:58pm

    I was a beta tester for Cave Story+ and NightSky back in 2011. I can confirm that all bug reports had to be sent through Tyrone himself and I never received confirmation/requests for more info about any problems I identified and some were still present in the final release, one issue with the map on a certain screen even still making it into Cave Story 3D. I also didn’t get credited for the NightSky work, or get paid for either.

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      Jason SchreierBalanced Breakfast
      9/12/19 6:24pm

      Oh, wow. That really sucks. Thanks for sharing this.

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    Driven out of Kinja InsanityJason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:51pm

    I’m a degree removed from some people that worked with Nicalis and this article sounds bang on. Tyrone is a bipolar douche and while some report of him being Jekyl and Hyde he’s mostly Hyde. Another fuckwit drunk with power who’s personality is best suited for mopping floors of a retail store after it’s locked, not management.  

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      SwagstallionDriven out of Kinja Insanity
      9/12/19 1:57pm

      Or making a fortune because you got a sports almanac from your future self. 

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      BipolarBurnerDriven out of Kinja Insanity
      9/12/19 2:04pm

      “Tyrone is a bipolar douche”

      Sociopath more likely; as someone suffering from bipolar, it’s difficult to see constant misuse of the term as a blanket branding of people with clear mental instability. 

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    Cosmic_FJason Schreier
    9/12/19 6:19pm

    We too had a contract with Nicalis and can confirm the EXACT same scenario. Communication was horrible, sometimes going weeks or months without hearing a word from Tyrone. We cut ties with him after assuming he was a terrible business person at best, or a scammer at worst. We insisted as per the contract that he delete all relevant source code that we had sent for the Switch port his team were going to handle but he never responded again despite numerous legal threats. We’re still exploring our options to this day.

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      Jason SchreierCosmic_F
      9/12/19 6:23pm

      Yikes. Sorry you had to deal with that.

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    BMWinPTownJason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:59pm

    The gaming industry sounds so fucked up. “Fear of Retribution”?!?!?! Like seriously what the fuck kind of industry exists where talking about a workplace can lead to fucking “retribution”? Is this the 1800s or what?

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      Ravenous SophovoreBMWinPTown
      9/12/19 1:04pm

      Like seriously what the fuck kind of industry exists where talking about a workplace can lead to fucking “retribution”?

      Pretty much every industry, but especially those where who you know is as important as how good you are. Have you honestly never heard of or encountered this before?

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      Wut Is this?BMWinPTown
      9/12/19 1:05pm

      Have you ever worked in your life? Like, anywhere? All industries have people who fear expressing themselves for they believe they might get fired for doing so. If you don’t know this, it means you are either self-employed or have never worked a day in your life.

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    MarblekidJason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:30pm

    Over the course of reporting this story, some game developers who have worked for Nicalis told Kotaku they were terrified to speak out because of Rodriguez’s power in the indie games scene. Although Nicalis is not a household name, some of the games it publishes are,...

    Interesting to see that there is somehow a psudo-monopoly in the indie scene with publishing, when the sole point of independent games is to be independent. But then again, publishing and developing are two different worlds altogether. Steam’s publishing side is like a slapped on patchwork and I have no clue what Epic does for publishing indie titles.

    The allegations of racism and exploitation is fucking horrifying, and is all the more reason to unionize for a more independent games industry. Thank you for your report Jason.

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      gojiguyMarblekid
      9/13/19 6:46am

      Steam has no active publishing arm

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      Filip MiucinMarblekid
      9/15/19 12:29am

      Steam isn’t a publisher. It’s a storefront. They don’t do dick for you, they just list your game while you hope it doesn’t get drowned in a pile of shit. A publisher provides funding, advertising, and development support. Epic is also a storefront, the money they provide isn’t for development but rather distribution rights- you have to already have a project that’s nearing or has been completed before they offer you anything and although I don’t know the specifics their exclusivity contracts usually seems to come in the form of a minimum sales agreement wherein if your game doesn’t sell a certain number of copies by a certain date they give you the difference/buy that many copies from you.

      That said, indie publishing is a bit more like the wild west. Indie publishers may not provide much, if any funding or may require that you’ve completed a certain amount of development before taking on your project. Typically in an indie publishing scenario the developers will retain more rights on their properties and have no organizational attachment to the publisher. Then again, indie may sometimes just refer to the scale as opposed to AAA. The only real consensus is that indie developers or publishers are not owned by another party. For instance, Platinum Games is an independent firm but probably wouldn’t qualify as an “indie” developer even if they were to self-publish their own IPs.

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    IAmSpartacusJason Schreier
    9/12/19 12:32pm

    Never underestimate the ability of complete assholes like Tyrone to stay in positions of power. So infuriating.

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    VanielJason Schreier
    9/12/19 1:18pm

    Jason, good on you for this piece. This is quality game journalism. I appreciate that you reported just the facts and let the reader draw their own conclusions.

    I think what happens too often in the gaming industry (and with small businesses as a whole) is that when a small studio opens up they simply don’t know how to act. They might have some success with developing a game and then when the money comes in they are suddenly the owner or a gaming studio. Their expertise is in development, not running a company.

    This happens all too often, and it can make or break a business. I remember small companies such as Limited Run Games that went through a lot of these growing pains. They are in a much better place now, but back when they first started it was rough. They had a lot to learn but they took the time to do so.

    I might be biased since I am a Human Resources consultant by trade, but these small and medium sized businesses need to consider hiring an HR BUSINESS PARTNER to help them grow their business. HR isn’t all about payroll, benefits, retirement, and recruitment, it’s also about business strategy, ethics, and employee development. It is even more important in small businesses, and they need to be given the trust and power to essentially tell the CEO to shut the hell up if the CEO begins to say or do things they shouldn’t.

    Binding of Isaac is my most played game on my Switch, with 800+ hours. I’ve probably got 200 or so hours in PC/PS4 versions, and my favorite two streamers are Binding of Isaac players (Hi McLaffyTaffy and Larsfest!). This article breaks my heart, but just goes to show that even horrible people can help release good games. I’m glad Edmund is taking this seriously and I hope that his separation from Nicalis doesn’t have any negative repercussions for him on a financial level.

    I also hope Nicalis (and more specifically Tyrone) can get his crap together. I have purchased every single Switch port they have released, and have been happy with almost all of them. This however has made me question any further support. I’ll buy BOI: Repentance to support Edmund, but may be done with Nicalis after that.

    Again, great article Jason. It almost makes me forgive you for your Xenoblade 2 review :P 

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      WrexVaniel
      9/12/19 9:01pm

      Too many people are gonna miss this comment because of length, but the bit about HR is spot on. I work for a small company where the HR person is the wife of the owner. And I get it. We’re small and every single dollar counts.

      But when workplace issues come up it is the most awkward and uncomfortable thing. Especially if the issue is related to the owner. It's difficult, if not flat out impossible, to feel like you can get a fair deal in a situation where the power structure is set up that way. 

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      Mauzer992Wrex
      9/12/19 11:51pm

      “Where the HR person is the wife of the owner”

      So you dont actually have HR, you have an excuse for the owner to pay his household more income.

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