A number of gaming outlets are attempting to put a positive spin on the upcoming Sweet Baby Inc. influenced game Flintlock: Siege of Dawn.
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
Founder of the Steam curator list Sweet Baby Inc. detected and DEIdetected.com KabrutusRambo revealed that Flintlock: Siege of Dawn was influenced by Sweet Baby Inc. and the company’s CEO Kim Belair. He cited an interview in Edge magazine with the COO of the game’s developer A44, Audrea Topps Harjo that confirmed Belair’s involvement.
The outlet reported, “For Flintlock, it was Topps Harjo who brought on Kim Belair – the Montreal-based narrative director who has advocated for better representation in stories as a means of bringing new and exciting ideas to games.”
Harjo explained, “She took the wonderful base layer Derek had, the world, and just elevated it.” She added, “You know the difference when there’s a person who’s reflecting at you and it’s true. There’s a certain truth that resonates that can’t be faked. I know some people won’t notice, but the people who are attuned to that, they’ll get it immediately.”
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
The interview also details the game’s narrative is full of progressive themes.
Harjo noted, “Those gods are almost a symbol of colonialism. They are people who have taken over your agency. What do you do when you wrestle with that structure, to find and gain your own identity? It’s still a game, it’s still gods and guns, but when you look at it from that lens, there’s another layer on top of that, from Nor being a woman of colour. It makes the character and the dynamic even more an echo of reality.”
Hey guys, I added another game to my curator list. The game is called Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, and as shown in this physical copy of the Edge magazine, it involves Kim Belair (Sweet Baby Inc. CEO).
I have waited a bit before deciding to add this one because a dev from… pic.twitter.com/tXPXyC33Lo
— Kabrutus (@kabrutusrambo) March 20, 2024
Following KabrutusRambo adding the game to the Sweet Baby Inc. detected curator list, former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern aka Grummz also claimed that the game had been “overrun by woke” and cited an anonymous source.
Proof Sweet Baby Inc. ruins games:
SBI game Flintlock by @a44games has been overrun by woke:
“I used to work there. Flintlock was a good project with lots of potential, then it was ruined.”
🧵(Con’t) pic.twitter.com/G1b8NTTBOH
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 21, 2024
He continued, “Before I go further, please note this is rumor from a source that seems very knowledgeable about the studios inner workings. Take that as it is. If others would like to verify, please DM me anon. The CEO and COO at a44 are no longer with the company, but the damage seems to have been done. The good devs at a44, I tell you how to fix it at the end of this thread.”
He then added, “Did you know the protagonist of Flintlock used to be white? When COO (and Casting Director) Andrea Topps Harjo joined the studio, her first actions were to change the character to hire Sweet Baby Inc. and change the main character to a PoC. This marked the beginnings of the problems with the game and studio.”
Did you know the protagonist of Flintlock used to be white?
When COO (and Casting Director) Andrea Topps Harjo joined the studio, her first actions were to change the character to hire Sweet Baby Inc. and change the main character to a PoC.
This marked the beginnings of the… pic.twitter.com/DFBqVh69rE
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 21, 2024
Next, he shared, “Audrea Topps-Harjo is rumored to have used the company’s funds and manpower to power her personal agenda and projects, on initiatives not related to the game or even the studio itself. One such initiative that I found is InclusionFX, a VFX company and advocacy company with shades of Sweet Baby Inc. Here is the bio from the company. She held this position at Flintlock at the same time she ran InclusionFX.”
He added, “I asked and confirmed: ‘Yea, I have witnessed our UI artists making art assets for its website as their sprint tasks.’”
Audrea Topps-Harjo is rumored to have used the company’s funds and manpower to power her personal agenda and projects, on initiatives not related to the game or even the studio itself.
One such initiative that I found is InclusionFX, a VFX company and advocacy company with… pic.twitter.com/4mF19p9A47
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 21, 2024
Kern continued, “Aside from working with Sweet Baby Inc. and making changes to the game, Audrea also directed numerous changes in HR in her role as COO. In 2021, most developers were denied raises, and evaluations were postponed for at least 6 months. Audrea told HR to inform anyone who complained or asked questions that the reasons is ‘Is because I said so.’ She also ordered the HR department to HIDE the salaries of the top execs of the company. HR tried to help, but were unable to get past this. The team was worried about the studio finances. Meanwhile, the new hires and changes to the game resulted in a project where ‘These people know nothing about how a video game is made.’
“After nearly 2 years of these DEI changes at a44, the damage had been done,” he asserted. “At this point the studio was purchased for $175m (an unusually high sum for a small studio, btw) by Kepler Interactive in Sept of 2021, a gaming collective fund whose founder also founded the Kowloon Knights gaming fund. It was at this point that Audrea, the COO, left the company. Perhaps this was the start of a clean-up of the game’s troubles?”
After nearly 2 years of these DEI changes at a44, the damage had been done.
At this point the studio was purchased for $175m (an unusually high sum for a small studio, btw) by Kepler Interactive in Sept of 2021, a gaming collective fund whose founder also founded the Kowloon…
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 21, 2024
READ: Square Enix Shareholder Questions Company About Sweet Baby Inc.’s Involvement
Kern then shared, “The state of the game is unknown at this time, but is believed to be in shambles after this 2 year round of DEI changes. As we now know, a44 reached out to Kabrutus to refute SBI’s involvement, saying they are no longer involved and all their changes reversed. But when Kabrutus asked for proof, they refused to speak to him any further.”
He concluded, “Here is my advice to Kepler and the good folks left holding the bag at a44: – You reverted the SBI changes. Good! Announce that you have terminated services with SBI and watch your PR soar. Gamers will flock to you. Don’t try to hide it. – Keep your MC a PoC but don’t tokenize the character. Make it a great character with quality writing, one we can all love. – Remove any sermons or preachiness or anti-white, anti-male racism and sexism from the game if it still remains. Don’t lecture your audience. Embrace the gamer, and they will embrace you. Good luck and my genuine best wishes.”
Here is my advice to Kepler and the good folks left holding the bag at a44:
– You reverted the SBI changes. Good! Announce that you have terminated services with SBI and watch your PR soar. Gamers will flock to you. Don’t try to hide it.
– Keep your MC a PoC but don’t tokenize…
— Grummz (@Grummz) March 21, 2024
Following the game being added to the Steam curator list and Kern’s report, Lisy Kane, the Senior Operations & Growth Manager for Kepler Interactive, the video game developer publishing the game raged on social media.
She wrote on X, “Absolutely fuming, vibrating off the f***ing plane of reality. This piss weak pseudo-journalism that the far-right GG* are taking is so vile. Incredible to see in real time (and closer to home) how wrong Grum**z is and how damaging he and his weird troupe are.”
Lisy Kane on X
As noted by YouTuber Vara Dark, now, numerous media outlets are attempting to run defense for the game.
Stacey Henley wrote a piece at TheGamer titled “Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Is A Hit In Need Of A Crowd”.
Ironically, she concludes the article by admitting it is anything but a hit, “Playing it felt like preparing soundbites for a future conversation. ‘I played that at Summer Game Fest once. Yeah it was alright. Shame it never really found its crowd.’ I hope I’m wrong, because there is a lot to like about Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. But just a month out from release, I find myself fearful of its future.”
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
David Smith at Kotaku Australia also tried to hype up the game. However, he compared it to Square Enix’s epic failure Forspoken, which saw its game developer, Luminous Productions shut down and absorbed back into Square Enix.
Smith’s headline blared, “Flintlock: Siege of Dawn Looks Like Forspoken, But Actually Good This Time.” He wrote in the article, ” It looks like Forspoken but actually good this time. I’m seeing spells and guns, which are obviously two great tastes that taste great together. But there’s also quite a bit of verticality and dextrous character movement, which is always great to see. It’s also described as a Souls-lite, which I appreciate.”
Of note, he provides no information on the story or narrative.
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
Interestingly, Brad Norton at Dexerto appeared to provide a more honest review of the demo. His headline stated “Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn – A competent Soulslike with a rough demo.”
In the article, Norton writes, “the game ultimately feels a little rough around the edges, unable to hone in on any particular strength. In one moment, I was firing off explosives, easily knocking down foes from afar. In another, a single enemy took me out of action in two strikes. Then, I found myself in the middle of a platforming-based puzzle. It was all a bit jumbled together with little in the way of proper direction.”
He even noted he began avoiding combat in the game too, “Before long, even in the brief hands-on window, I found myself simply ignoring most enemies. With multiple sprawling paths forward, I found it more effective to just avoid combat altogether, sprinting through areas to get to the next step in the quest. Though I’m not entirely sure that’s how the game is meant to be played.”
Norton concluded, “It seems to be a competent enough Soulslike with a bit of added flair, but its limitations are also quite evident. Existing in that AA space and presenting decently enough, but not being quite as epic in scope or dazzling with its visuals to draw folks in, it’s a bit of a tough sell.”
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
What do you make of these media outlets attempting to hype up Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn?
When I see a female character with a haircut like that, that tells me all I need to know about the messaging in the narrative. These studios just don’t get it.