Game studio Turtle Rock (Left 4 Dead, Evolve) has let go of their community manager following a controversial tweet in which he called disgraced L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling “a victim” who “has the right as an American to be an old bigot in the security of his own home.”
Sterling, who has owned the Clippers for 30 years, was banned from the National Basketball Aassociation this week following a series of racist comments he made in audio tape obtained by TMZ and our sister site Deadspin. As a result of what became one of the week’s biggest national news stories, the NBA plans to force Sterling to sell the team.
Yesterday, Turtle Rock community manager Josh Olin tweeted the following:
Fans immediately criticized the comments, and this afternoon, the Turtle Rock Twitter account apologized, calling Olin a “former community manager” in their tweets.
The comments made by our former community manager stand in stark contrast to our values as a game development studio. <1/2>
— Turtle Rock Studios (@TurtleRock) May 1, 2014
We sincerely apologize for his remarks and in no way endorse or support those views. <2/2>
— Turtle Rock Studios (@TurtleRock) May 1, 2014
Olin also confirmed what had happened, calling the incident “very poorly handled by malleable management” in a tweet this afternoon:
@DalekonDrugs @TurtleRock I'd still recommend buying the game, it'll be a good one. But yes, very poorly handled by malleable management.
— Josh Olin (@JD_2020) May 1, 2014
UPDATE (7:36pm): A representative for Turtle Rock declined to comment. When reached by Kotaku, Olin sent over a statement:
Anyone who follows me knows my tweets were not in support of Sterling’s actions. 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. 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.
