Turtle Rock Studios community manager Josh Olin has been fired from the company following controversial messages posted on Twitter regarding L.A. Clipper owner Donald Sterling.
“Here’s an upopular opinion: Donald Sterling has the right as an American to be an old bigot in the security of his own home. He’s a victim,” reads one of Olin’s posts. “When you were raised in an era where segregation was perceived as “right”, that will stick with some people. Doesn’t make him a monster.”
The comments quickly began to circulate on the internet, which lead to Twitter posts by Turtle Rock suggesting Olin is no longer the Evolve developer’s community manager.
“The comments made by our former community manager stand in stark contrast to our values as a game development studio,” reads a post on the Turtle Rock Twitter account. “We sincerely apologize for his remarks and in no way endorse or support those views.”
Josh Olin has issued a comment to Game Informer to clarify his Twitter comments and his termination.
“Anyone who follows me knows my tweets were not in support of Sterling’s actions,” Olin said. “Rather, they were promoting three core tenets I believe in: 1) The harm sensational media presents to society. 2) The importance and sanctity of your privacy within your own home. And 3) The right to be whatever you want to be as an American, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone else. That last point not to be confused with condoning Sterling’s actions, which I don’t.”
“That said, it’s disappointing to see that a select few in Turtle Rock and 2K Games management bought into this hysteria without even having a conversation with me – or even thoroughly reviewing the context of the tweets themselves,” he continued. “Ironically, it serves as a great example of why I hold tenet #1 above so close to heart. That said, everyone should totally still buy Evolve. The guys and gals making that game know their ***, and are making it good.”
(via Game Informer)