The problem with designing games for IPs is that sometimes the milk goes bad.

There’s a really big one out there that did so in the most flagrant way imaginable, and the ripples have been freaking cultural tsunamis. I won’t name it, but I suspect you know the IP (or more specifically its creator) already.

First, there are things that go without saying: Trans rights are human rights, and their lives matter. As a hetero/cis middle class white male, I recognize the privilege I have and the challenges I will never face, but also my duty as a human being to be compassionate and supportive to those who don’t live with that. I try to live up to that duty. I’m not perfect, but I want to be better. So it’s time to let go of something I’ve been carrying around for too long.

Until today, my resume has boasted the design of a game that for the better part of a decade sold hundreds of thousands of units and garnered accolades for its design and structure. I’m modifying that piece of my ludography (list of games I’ve made) to strip the IP away; it’ll just be referenced as “Award-Winning Co-Operative Deckbuilding Engine” from now on. Hopefully the people who consider working with me will recognize and understand what this means literally, and respect what it means morally.

It’s a shame on so many levels that the property has become so toxic. It’s meant a lot for millions of people, running so deep into their lives that many have literally tattooed its words and symbols on themselves. They had no choice in seeing something they loved turn bad. In my case, I’ve built a good portion of my career and reputation as a game designer on a game about the IP, and while it wasn’t specifically my choice to put that IP on the game engine, I got several years of great brand recognition and steady work because of it.

I could tell you the story of how the game came to be, but today’s not the right day for it. It’s very emotional and bittersweet for me to scrub that element away from my professional (and personal) identity. I am proud of the work that I put into it. I am honored to have worked with great designers, developers, and human beings who also made huge contributions to that game, none of whom ever suspected at the time what the IP would come to represent. I am thankful that the game engine has been applied to other properties that are still beloved and respected.

But I love my friends who have been impacted by the hate and toxicity now tied to the brand more than my connection to the brand’s past. It’s time for me to be better.

Love and respect your friends and neighbors. Trans rights are human rights. Trans lives matter.

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