"Won't end well for him."
Many developers have found themselves at odds with video game fans in recent years, but it isn't often they wind up under the scrutiny of the richest man in the world. That was the case yesterday, however, when Elon Musk took umbrage with Matt Hansen of Obsidian Entertainment. Obsidian's latest game, Avowed, is scheduled to release on February 13, 2025, but has been making waves online recently owing to its perceived modern day influences, including the interjection of preferred pronouns into its character creator.
This has been a hot button issue in the culture wars of late, an issue that Elon Musk himself has commented on via his official X account. However, things hit a boiling point when Hansen came to Musk's attention thanks to some social media posts made by the creator. This includes statements from Hansen like the following: "We got too many crusty white dudes in this field, please let me help you replace me one day — I want to go back to living in the woods."
Internet pundit Ian Miles Cheong subsequently commented on the matter, alleging that Microsoft is hiring with the intent to exclude whites. Musk noticed, and in turn reposted Cheong and directly tagged Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in the post, saying "this is illegal." Nadella nor Microsoft have commented on Hansen's posts.
Hansen, for his part, has been lashing out at Musk since the latter's initial post about preferred pronouns in fantasy games, saying that he "cannot think of a single person in the world [he] would rather irritate." Hansen has stated that he "wanted so badly to make [Musk] mad with [Avowed]." These posts can be found on Hansen's Bluesky account, an alternative social media site.
Hansen has apparently doubled down on the notion of not hiring white workers, telling Musk that he has been "emboldened" to maintain the practice. Musk, in reply, commented on X that "[Hansen] is confessing to illegal behavior. Won’t end well for him." Interestingly, all of this hullabaloo caught the attention of Chris Avellone, a former developer at Obsidian, who said in an X post that anyone rejected from an art position at Obsidian in recent times should "call a lawyer" on the grounds of "discrimination in hiring."
Hansen's remarks aren't uncommon among video game developers, but to have such a public backlash and from someone as prominent as Musk certainly is beyond the pale. However, there has been a rise in the past year of consumers pushing back against perceived activism coming from the industry, activism that seems to single out and decry white, heterosexual, and male demographics. Whether or not Hansen will be reprimanded for his comments is unclear, but as we learn more, we'll continue to update about it here.
Source: Matt Hansen Bluesky Account + Elon Musk & Ian Miles Cheong X Accounts