Former Sweet Baby Inc. employee and current developer for Marvel’s Black Panther Dani Lalonders claims she did not discriminate against white people while developing her game Validate, contradicting previously statements that she did.
Dani Lalonders via Game Devs of Color Expo YouTube
Lalonders told Game Devs of Color Expo 2021 that she “wanted to create a safe environment” so “we have no white people on our team” in a post highlighted by LibsofTikTok.
In the presentation Lalonders states, “ValiDate has a team of all people of color. We have no white people on our team. I did that because I wanted to create a safe environment. And I know the best way for the environment to be safe is to be around people who are just like me.”
“And I’m not saying that white people in the industry are creating unsafe environments. I’m not saying that. That is not what I’m saying,” she said. “I’m saying sometimes it is hard to work with white people because they think that something may be okay, but it was really a microaggression, and no one wants to deal with that while you’re trying to make a game that they love.”
Lalonders appeared to double down on this sentiment while attempting to defend her former employer Sweet Baby Inc.
On March 7th, she endorsed discrimination against white people, especially those who did not align themselves with the organization Black Lives Matter.
Dani Lalonders on X
She then admitted to being a racist in a response to Rileyman1080, Lalonders responded, “Yeah im racist so what now?”
Dani Lalonders on X
Dani Lalonders on X
Lalonders then spouted the bizarre theory that it is impossible to discriminate against white people, while also endorsing discrimination against white people.
Dani Lalonders on X
Now, Lalonders is claiming she did not discriminate against white people. She responded to the video clipped by LibsofTikTok on X and wrote, “Okay, let’s address this. In this video, I very clearly stated that the team for ValiDate is mostly people of color because I wanted to have a team of people who reflected on the game we were working on. If you played ValiDate, you understand why this was important.”
Dani Lalonders on X
As noted in the video, she says, “ValiDate has a team of all people of color. We have no white people on our team.” Which would seem to contradict herself within a few sentences.
Nevertheless, she continued, “This video is a bit outdated (recorded in the summer of 2021). ValiDate was released in September of 2022. From when this video was recorded to release, we had a few white developers join our team to help us with some music and audio needs.”
“Nowhere in this video did I say we don’t hire white people or that I hate white people,” she said. “I very clearly said we wanted to have a team that reflected the values of the game we were making. As a lead, you pick the best people possible for the job.”
Next, she asserted, “In this case, the best people for the job were the people who understood the kind of game we were making. Developers working on a game full of queer characters who understand the importance of queerness in games that is realistic and respectful towards queer people.”
Dani Lalonders on X
However, as noted in the video, Lalonders made it very clear she made a conscience decision to exclude white people. Remember, she said, “We have no white people on our team. I did that because I wanted to create a safe environment. And I know the best way for the environment to be safe is to be around people who are just like me.”
Nevertheless, she continued, “In the latter half of the video, I spoke about micro-aggressions in the workplace. If you are a person of color, you understand precisely what I meant. That being said, I am very well aware that white people are not the only ones who can commit micro-aggressions in the workplace.”
She explained, “Micro-aggressions can be committed by anyone towards anyone else in the workplace. But in the context of what I was talking about, I had fears of certain treatment towards my marginalized workers in the workplace. I wanted my team to feel safe while working on ValiDate.”
Dani Lalonders on X
So, she appears to confirm that she did indeed discriminate against white people because she feared they would microaggress her other employees.
Next, Lalonders attempted to do damage control for her current employer Cliffhanger, who is developer Marvel’s Black Panther for Electronic Arts.
She wrote, “The way LoT posted this video made it seem like I am the lead developer/hiring director at Cliffhanger Games. I am not. My title is an Associate (junior) Narrative Designer. I don’t have any power in terms of hiring and never had.”
“I have also only been working at Cliffhanger for about nine months,” she added. “This video pre-dates my time at Cliffhanger by two years. Again, this video is old and does not reflect my current values or the current reality of my company, Veritable Joy Studios.”
Dani Lalonders on X
As noted above, Lalonders stated “Yeah im [sic] racist so what now?” just a week ago. So it’s hard to see how her discrimination practices from just three years ago do not reflect her current values and her current reality.
Regardless, she concluded her thread, “Before I end this thread, please let this be a lesson for everyone to do some research before they post. I have seen a lot of misinformation posted about this situation from journalists, content creators, and even TikTok lawyers.”
“Misinformation spreads like a wildfire,” she added. She also claimed that the alleged misinformation led to criticism that can only be interpreted as discrimination.
She finished, “All of this to say, I am sorry if I made you upset in any way with the contents of this video. I hope this explanation clears things up. Have a nice day everyone.”
Dani Lalonders on X
What do you make of Lalonders’ damage control?
