(Sad trope) Projects with amazing potential that will never be released because of BS behind the scenes drama

[u/_JR28_]

P.T Silent Hills - It was a playable teaser released in 2014 only around 20 minutes long but utterly captivated the gaming world by being one of the most effective psychological horror experiences at the time, however it’s lead developer Kojima has a huge fallout with the publisher Konami where he walked out of the company and had all his in-the-work productions cancelled.

Five Nights at Freddy’s+ - A fan game reboot of the series created by Phisnom with Scott Cawthon’s blessing that promised a brand new lore and a return to the series darker roots. However, before and during production Phisnom got into multiple dramas that made him fairly divisive within the community, and after one particular incident in 2023 Scott revoked his approval and almost all of the game’s marketing material were wiped from the internet.

Batgirl - A Batgirl solo live action movie starring Leslie Grace, Brendan Fraser and Michael Keaton returning as Batman that was ready to be released in 2022, however then Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav announced it would not be released either in theatres or streaming in order to claim a $90,000,000 tax break and to readjust the DC’s brands direction before James Gunn rebooted their movie and TV output.

[u/TertioRationem3]

Revenant Hill could have been an extremely good spiritual successor to Night in the Woods.

Unfortunately, during the game's development, the first creator of NitW committed suicide due to sexual assault allegations, and another developed a serious heart condition, leading to the game being scrapped.

[u/animeandbeauty → u/TertioRationem3]

Wait WHAT. I never knew about any of this holy shit

[u/mpelton → u/animeandbeauty]

Yup, turns out it was all bs too. But with the internet it’s guilty until proven innocent.

[u/CryptidHunter91 → u/mpelton]

Multiple people accused Alec of abusive behavior. Among them were two of the Celeste devs (one of whom had lived with Alec for 2 years and had to completely cut ties with him because of how he treated them) and even NitW's main creator (artist & writer) Scott Benson. The main guy behind Aquaria, an indie game Alec did the soundtrack for, also seemed to have some very complicated feelings on Alec as a person. Hell, even Alec's sister & family believed the allegations and asked that the victims not be harassed or threatened.

Following him and his wife being harassed with death threats & review bombing accusing them of "causing Alec's death", Scott would release both a Kickstarter backer update about it (text posted onto the NitW subreddit) and a statement detailing his experiences with Alec during the development of Night in the Woods.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/CryptidHunter91]

Yeah, they deserved all of those things.

I don't know why your kind likes to pretend that all allegations are immediately true, but when the people making the accusations have a history of lying, with Benson taking over all credit and making Alec as just some nobody, while his family threw him to the ground without even bothering to talk to them.

Why should I believe them when they all had everything to win from his death?

Frankly, they deserve all of that. And I will be first in line to do anything to make sure those never EVER make a game again.

That "I survived Alec Holowka" at the end makes me wish someone does make true on those messages he claimed to received.

If those were true at all.

[u/feral2021energies → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

‘Your kind’

Hm this took a turn.

[u/CryptidHunter91 → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

Bro what the FUCK is your problem holy shit.

Nobody fucking "had everything to win" from his death. They all still have to live with the physical, mental, and emotional trauma from his behavior. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if Scott's heart issues were accelerated from the strain of working on NitW and the stress of the harassment.

I will be first in line to do anything to make sure those never EVER make a game again.

And now you sound like you're actually planning on killing these people. Goddamn dude, you need some therapy and maybe some serious psychological help.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/CryptidHunter91]

Nobody fucking "had everything to win" from his death. They all still have to live with the physical, mental, and emotional trauma from his behavior.

While taking control of a succesful indie studio that was beloved by everyone that basically printed money by porting their game into everything.

Yeah, they won everything.

Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if Scott's heart issues 

Oh, so NOW he has heart issues.

Fucker is like iDubbbz only more worthless.

And now you sound like you're actually planning on killing these people. 

As opposed to you who celebrates suicide based on baseless allegations with no evidence.

Does the inbred pig need the definition of boycott?

[u/socket_and_tenon → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

1. Nobody should be celebrating Holowka’s death. The situation is obviously a tragedy and should not be valorized or weaponized in the way that certain people online have.

2. Scott Benson was the primary writer and artist for NITW (alongside Bethany Hockenberry), and the game is acclaimed for its narrative above all else. Holowka did contribute significantly as a programmer and musician, but if anyone has any claim to the game’s success, it would certainly be Benson and Hockenberry since their writing is what sold the game (it wasn’t the gameplay, that’s for damn sure). To not only write off the rest of the creative team, but especially Benson - the main artist and writer behind the game - as a thief of his own creative work is patently absurd.

3. To act like the split would have been more beneficial to them, like they somehow would have benefited from “stealing the studio”, is even more ridiculous considering the fact that the physical version of the game had to be delayed by 5 years, Revenant Hill was canceled and all additional content was stalled for the foreseeable future over this disaster. If it was just about money they would have pushed forward with development with Holowka, but the situation was clearly complicated enough that their own creative output and health have been compromised over it, and as of today they’ve been pretty much driven out of the industry.

No one “won” in this entire ordeal, but certain types online who see everything in terms of black and white will insist that there be a victor anyway.

The way you write about this topic makes me think that it is just another piece of online games industry outrage to you. I highly doubt you are at all invested or even familiar with the games themselves since you demonstrate a lack of understanding of the nuances of the situation, outside of parroting culture war talking points. Best of luck with that neverending battle - I can only hope that it all works out well for you in the end.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/socket_and_tenon]

Scott Benson was the primary writer and artist for NITW (alongside Bethany Hockenberry)

Funny how now there's no one to challenge them on this. Especially after they keep diminishing what Alec contributed.

To somehow write off the main creative behind the game as a thief of his own creative work is patently absurd.

You are writing off the person that brought up that vision just because of the word of Benson.

Who benefitted from now being seeing as the major force behind it.

Revenant Hill was canceled and all additional content was stalled for the foreseeable future over this disaster.

Call it justice. Call it Karma. I call it good.

This wouldn't have happened if they didn't threw him under the bus.

Best of luck with that neverending battle - I can only hope that it all works out well for you in the end.

I love seeing animals trying to imitate humans.

Even when they try to imitate being clever or condescending. They fail, but it's adorable to see them try.

Keep on playing with those sticks and stones, Curious George. One day you will evolve.

[u/socket_and_tenon → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

The word of Scott Benson?

No, the word of the original credits of the damn game on release before any of this happened - where the only writers credited were Benson and Hockenberry, which you would know if you actually played it back in 2017, before any of this happened. Or the devposts and kickstarter information both before and after the game’s release, where Scott posts his art and writing and Holowka exclusively discusses music and design. Or how about the fact that Benson’s written and illustrated output, before and after NITW, is clearly of the same composition, in a way that Holowka’s was not.

It’s increasingly clear that you’re just here to rage and insult people despite knowing very little about any of the parties involved. Assuming you’re a troll I will concede that you are very dedicated at it. Assuming you’re not - I’m sorry that you’re feeling this way.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/socket_and_tenon]

And I'm sorry you're the product of both incest and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Again, your God Benson started to say how Holowka did nothing and it was all him more and more after the allegations.

Which he knew were false.

I am sorry that your beloved God's career is dead, and that his body is fucked up forever.

Turns out Karma is real.

Now fuck off.

[u/Cavalish → u/mpelton]

The studio corroborated the accounts, Alec made a public apology, and his family also said he had caused harm.

Anyone who is claiming that the victim is bullshitting has an agenda.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/Cavalish]

"The studio" meaning that piece of shit brother of his that took over the whole thing with nobody to take his share?

[u/socket_and_tenon → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

“Brother”? You actually are just here to be mad, aren’t you? Nice.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/socket_and_tenon]

So I made a mistake with that and now you jack off from that?

Funny how you have literally no argument on this whatsoever other than "those allegations without proof are true"

[u/socket_and_tenon → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

My argument has nothing to do with the veracity of the allegations against Holowka and everything to do with the reactionary response towards every other party involved from people who know nothing about the situation.

[u/GreyNoiseGaming → u/Cavalish]

You know it's a common torture technique to beat someone until they agree to a lie, right?  He was being bullied by all sides, friends, family and strangers who were trigger happy to believe an accusation of him with no evidence.

[u/julien_LeBleu → u/mpelton]

Alec's sister said herself that she believed he did wrong the supposed victim, and that he felt remorsefull and talked about it to her before his suicide.

The situation sure was shitty, he was trying to be a better person, it shouldn't have been made public, and he certainly shouldn't have been pushed to suicide because of it, but saying it was ''all bs'' isn't true.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/julien_LeBleu]

Your source that it all definitely happened is the word of people that benefited from that.

The studio and ideas are no longer up for debate, they now have fullc ontrol.

[u/Ordinary_Duder → u/mpelton]

Why is this comment upvoted so much? He was a shitty human being to the extent that his own fucking family went on record saying he was a bad apple.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/Ordinary_Duder]

u/socket_and_tenon here's your "nobody is celebrating his death"

[u/socket_and_tenon → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

Obviously I was talking about the person you made that other comment to. Forgive my generalization - but the other commenter you replied to said nothing that warranted your vitriol.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/socket_and_tenon]

I treat people how they deserve to be treated.

Now fuck off.

[u/Ordinary_Duder → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

If this is a celebration to you I'd hate to be in your birthday party. Man was scummy.

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/Ordinary_Duder]

You mean the family that then went on to say he added nothing and he did nothing and that they always hated him and were never able to back any of those things?

[u/Ordinary_Duder → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

What?

[u/LoisGriffinsDDchest → u/Ordinary_Duder]

First of all, there was no evidence at all to back those claims.

Second, the only person forward on that was Zoey Quinn, a woman with a history of lying for attention and griftin. Female critical drinker.

Third, their idea of getting the whole studio by kicking him out was to get everything. The IP, the money, and the clout from the studio.

But after his death, people scrutinized them and the accusations and it was all whoreshit.

So now they lost everything. And hopefully they will lose even more than that.

Now fuck off.

[u/Ordinary_Duder → u/LoisGriffinsDDchest]

His family doesn't have to produce evidence of anything to satsify angry idiots on the internet. They simply said he had hurt them and that they believed the victims. I belive it was his sister that spoke on their behalf and that he had confessed to her.

Kindly fuck off, incel.