Update: Fez Dev Tells Media Member To Kill Himself

[the great pumpkin king]

but the reason for him getting out of the game industry is the reason he said wasn't cancelling his game.

I am guessing as many folk out their that don't like you, their might be as many or more that do support you and are willing to pay and enjoy your games, but your taking you ball and going home cause someone was being an immature and a bit of prick. For most us that is our every day lives and we can't afford to quit.

And I don't know to break to you but quitting in this manner isn't going to make it go away in fact you most likely invited more of it upon yourself and its going to get worse. Much worse.

My two cents: Finish the second game, get a good pay check and at the end of the game, thank those who did support you, the fans that did buy this game. Announce retirement from the gaming industry which will allow you to retire with grace, dignity and class, so much so that everyone would have to respect. Instead you decided to sound like a child who took his ball home ruining the game for everyone else, because their is one player that is being an ass.

But I could be wrong its just my opinion after all.

 

[MammothBlade]

You know, considering Fish's history - continuing? - with astute depression, I'm more worried than angry now. I hope he didn't go off to... do... what he suggested... to himself. Oh, geez.

And just then nothing of value was lost.

This is just as tasteless as Phil telling someone to kill themselves.

I just don't understand what was so great about Fez, and therefore I struggle to work out what is the value of Fish beyond the "but he's a human being!" excuse.

You don't, but what about other people? I don't enjoy or like it personally, but it's a loss for those who do.

Honestly, I can't blame him for wanting to pull out of the industry, this spat was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[Chemical Alia]

Like, I don't know anything about this guy or what he's done in the past, but if I ever make a Twitter account, I will post about nothing but food products and cute animals.

 

[Lord Krunk]

I like how the original post fails to quote anything said by Mr beer, and laughably describes what he says as "Criticism"

"Have you seen these wankers ***** and moan?Phil Fish in particular," Beer said. When a panelist offered that Fish seemed "whiny," Beer interrupted, "Whiny? He's a fucking asshole most of the time."

A tiny exerpt of a 3 minute rant in which there is basically only insults thrown.

And i'd just like to remind everyone that, had this happened on this site, Fish would have never got a chance to tell Beer to kill himself; Because Beer would have been banned by a Mod for insulting other members.

Oh but no, Escapist, keep representing Beer as some innocent "Member of the media" who was only "Criticising".

This. Seriously, i've read most of the comments on here and most range from just "he's a prick" to "if you can't handle it, don't use twitter".

Or how about you don't be an abusive asshole to someone just because you don't like them. Get some class.

Yes, I agree with this as well. The media is only reporting on one side of the issue, the side that paints the media in the role of the victim, and it's just bad and unethical journalism.

If Phil Fish wants to be rude and insult everyone on Twitter that is his choice. He really has no right to get angry when people take offense to how he acts and criticize him for acting the way he does. I was actually thinking of getting FEZ but now that I know how Phil Fish acts I have decided not to buy it. I refuse to support someone that acts like a child and can't maintain even a shred of professionalism.

Did you even read the quotes beforehand? If you really believed that last statement, you wouldn't be defending Beer.

Not that Fish is much better, I'm certainly not defending him or his inappropriate joke (I mean, you should assume people won't understand the context). They're both children pretending to be big kids, and I've certainly lost a lot of respect for the Escapist News team for pretending Beer was the victim in all this (or at least, that he wasn't the instigator by far).

They're both raging douchebags, Beer is a bully who can't take what he dishes out, and Fish has all the maturity of a cane toad. The end.

 

[Bat Vader]

I like how the original post fails to quote anything said by Mr beer, and laughably describes what he says as "Criticism"

"Have you seen these wankers ***** and moan?Phil Fish in particular," Beer said. When a panelist offered that Fish seemed "whiny," Beer interrupted, "Whiny? He's a fucking asshole most of the time."

A tiny exerpt of a 3 minute rant in which there is basically only insults thrown.

And i'd just like to remind everyone that, had this happened on this site, Fish would have never got a chance to tell Beer to kill himself; Because Beer would have been banned by a Mod for insulting other members.

Oh but no, Escapist, keep representing Beer as some innocent "Member of the media" who was only "Criticising".

This. Seriously, i've read most of the comments on here and most range from just "he's a prick" to "if you can't handle it, don't use twitter".

Or how about you don't be an abusive asshole to someone just because you don't like them. Get some class.

Yes, I agree with this as well. The media is only reporting on one side of the issue, the side that paints the media in the role of the victim, and it's just bad and unethical journalism.

If Phil Fish wants to be rude and insult everyone on Twitter that is his choice. He really has no right to get angry when people take offense to how he acts and criticize him for acting the way he does. I was actually thinking of getting FEZ but now that I know how Phil Fish acts I have decided not to buy it. I refuse to support someone that acts like a child and can't maintain even a shred of professionalism.

Did you even read the quotes beforehand? If you really believed that last statement, you wouldn't be defending Beer.[/quote]

I'm not defending Marcus Beer at all. From how people have talked about him he sounds extremely unprofessional. I think both both Beer and Fish are in the wrong for what went down. I didn't even know Marcus Beer or Phil Fish existed till I read this article. From the way Marcus Beer sounds and acts I won't be watching his show.

 

[Strain42]

I guarantee you that if Phil Fish was just known as that guy who made Fez, he probably wouldn't have been insulted to the point where he felt he had to quit the industry.

I didn't really care for Fez as a game, and the fact that Fish is also a condescending jerk to people for no reason makes me like it even less, and it makes want to say things like...he's a condescending jerk.

Y'know what other game I didn't really care for though? 'Splosion Man. But do you know what I have to say about Josh Bear?

...Nothing! I have absolutely nothing to say about him. I just know him as the dude who directed Splosion Man. I have nothing against him. No negative comments to sling, no insults to hurl, nothing. I wasn't a fan of his game, but that's it. Harmless criticism.

And that's probably all Fish would have gotten if the internet just knew him as the indie dude who made Fez.

But no. He wanted to be the guy to get on Twitter and say that anyone who buys Nintendo products are socially underdeveloped and/or emotionally stunted.

...and then get super defensive and play the victim when people inevitably give him some flack for that.

I think he should just shave his head, get different facial hair, and resurface in a few years with a new indie title under a pen name and try his hand at developing games again, only this time being a bit nicer to his fans and more understanding of his critics. I'm sure he'd be pleasantly surprised at how much less backlash he gets.

 

[Vince_Montego]

People saying they wont buy Fez because they dont like Phil Fish, Thats real sad. Fez is a great game no matter who it was developed by.What im saying is if you dont like Fez because its just not your cup of tea thats all well and good. But not liking a game because the guy who developed it made some questionable comments is just stupid.

 

[Strain42]

People saying they wont buy Fez because they dont like Phil Fish, Thats real sad. Fez is a great game no matter who it was developed by.What im saying is if you dont like Fez because its just not your cup of tea thats all well and good. But not liking a game because the guy who developed it made some questionable comments is just stupid.

In our society, people have a hard time separating art from artist. Many people who do it are fully well aware of how ridiculous it is even as they actively engage in it. For a lot of people I imagine it's just that they don't want their money to go to this person that they despise, even if it means depriving themselves of a somewhat enjoyable experience.

To use a somewhat controversial example, there are thousands of people who are boycotting the Ender's Game movie based solely on the fact that Orson Scott Card is against gay marriage. Now I'm not familiar with Ender's Game, I dunno if the story itself has any anti-gay messages in it (I've been told it doesn't, but I don't know) but to them it doesn't matter if 90% or more of the people who worked on the film are in full support of gay marriage, or are gay themselves, they just don't care. They refuse to give money to it because the guy who wrote the book the movie is based on is against gay marriage.

Fez may indeed be a good game (I personally didn't like it, and note I'm usually all for fun indie platformers with cute main characters) but we live in a world with thousands of other great games. Someone could easily get just as fun an experience as they would with Fez or even more without giving any of their money over to this person that they despise.

I understand the logic of it, as well as realize the parts about it that seem so peculiar. I mean for instance, UI absolutely love the Ace Attorney series, but if Shu Takumi released a tweet or something saying that everyone who bought his games were idiotic nerds with no real world understanding and he loves imagining us sobbing into our love pillows at night...I'd naturally be a little offended, and while this wouldn't make any of the Ace Attorney games any worse, I'd be a bit more hesitant about my devotion to the series.

I realize how weird it is to deprive yourself of something you may enjoy for whatever principle, but if someone believes that's the smart decision, that's their decision to make, and I respect it.

 

[Vince_Montego]

After reading your post I can see how some people may Not buy game due to them not liking the developer.Thanks for the eye-opener.

 

[Lord Krunk]

I'm not defending Marcus Beer at all. From how people have talked about him he sounds extremely unprofessional. I think both both Beer and Fish are in the wrong for what went down. I didn't even know Marcus Beer or Phil Fish existed till I read this article. From the way Marcus Beer sounds and acts I won't be watching his show.

Ah, sorry then.

I come back after how many years and the quote function is still broken. Eugh.

 

[Eve Charm]

You know what, I didn't even know they were working on a fez 2, but I'm gonna come out and say it, Nothing of value was lost here. I don't know why, but I do know everyone hates phil fish, he's said stupid things that I don't know what? But even though this guy is publicly labeled as a huge jerk, I see prove he's living up to it.

Here's the thing with indie developers, Your Not Notch. I know you see this guy that can pretty much get away and do and say whatever he wants but your not him. Your not the guy that basically made your industry a thing. A person that is constantly giving to gaming charities like child's play and desert bus, funding projects that aren't even his, and spending absurd amount of money on things like humble bundles. Notch is on a pillar, you other devs need to do something good for the industry other then just making a game before you get the right to run your mouth and not get called a jerk for it.

 

[JackWestJr]

Good on him, everyone in this situation is acting childish, but at least he has the excuse of having had this abuse for ages.

 

[Gilhelmi]

The more comments I read the more I want to personally abuse each and everyone of them. I mean personally. Find twitter and call them rude names and everything they do suck, personal telephone numbers calling them, Email them hateful things.

Of course, IF I did that, the Escapist would ban me (rightfully so), Twitter would flag my account (I do not know how it works with them), AND the police would throw me in jail for harassment (ya, it is a crime to phone/email threats to people).

Must be nice being a 'game journalist' you get to hide behind your shield and abuse people until they break and then make fun of how they broke. I have seen domestic abuse cases go to court with less evidence then this article just provided me. I wonder how long it will be until the tragic day someone does take their own life? I wonder how much the family will sue for? I wonder what new (and bad) laws will be hastily written trying to give people protection from so-called journalists verbally abusing people?

Disgusting.

I know people will say "but the Dev was being an a**h***". And I will say,

"If you BEAT your dog, do not be surprised when it Bites you. If you constantly abuse a man verbally, do not be surprised when he curses you out."

I swear, some peoples children.

 

[Gilhelmi]

You know what, I didn't even know they were working on a fez 2, but I'm gonna come out and say it, Nothing of value was lost here. I don't know why, but I do know everyone hates phil fish, he's said stupid things that I don't know what? But even though this guy is publicly labeled as a huge jerk, I see prove he's living up to it.

Here's the thing with indie developers, Your Not Notch. I know you see this guy that can pretty much get away and do and say whatever he wants but your not him. Your not the guy that basically made your industry a thing. A person that is constantly giving to gaming charities like child's play and desert bus, funding projects that aren't even his, and spending absurd amount of money on things like humble bundles. Notch is on a pillar, you other devs need to do something good for the industry other then just making a game before you get the right to run your mouth and not get called a jerk for it.

If you do not know the things he said, you should know that he said those rude thing to people who were equally (or worse usually) abusing him.

If people were to start cursing you out everyday, would you not eventually curse them back? Now imagine that the people who were cursing you turned around and said "Look at how big of Jerk this person is". No one cares that they were abusing you first, just that you lashed out. No matter what you said, nope you are a jerk lets insult them some more to get more reaction out of him we can print.

I am sure that if people started to abuse Notch as much as they abused this poor guy, he would leave the industry too.

 

[lord canti]

Why do I get the feeling if Phil was part of a bigger company fewer people would be jumping to defend him. Look he is part of an industry that has been under heavy scrutiny in every aspect for years. He should have fully expected to get a bunch of shit for being in this industry and expect even more shit when he starts saying a bunch of shit he knows will cause him backlash. I'm sorry but he gets no sympathy for me. He would not be getting as much shit as he is if he kept his mouth shut or at the very least acted like a professional.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

This is the end (hopefully) of a long time of Fish being a dick on twitter. Seriously this has been going on for a long time before this. Seems to be pretty common problem for some creative types that they cannot take criticism of there work. At least those that don't have corporate over lords to keep them quiet. It generally ends with this "take my ball and go home" approach.

So someone calling him "Blowfish" is "Criticism of his work"?

Don't fucking think so.

Fish was out of line certainly. But the other guy sounds like a grade-a juvenile asshole as well. This is an example of two people who should've been the better man, and yet neither of them were.

The actual criticism Beer shared with the world was how neither Fish nor Fowl Blow seemed to care much about using their stardom, wits and experience to make the indie world a better place, they both have a history of behaving like either bearded kids or uppity twats with a serious attention, humility and common courtesy disorder. Beer just pulled the names of Fish and Blow together to form 'Blowfish' because it was too much fun to pass up on.

Fish has issues beyond finding it difficult to handle language properly or deal with people in a non-offensive manner. Let's just say Fish finds it really difficult to meet deadlines and working in a manner that is anywhere near organized or useful in an average setting.

 

[Eve Charm]

You know what, I didn't even know they were working on a fez 2, but I'm gonna come out and say it, Nothing of value was lost here. I don't know why, but I do know everyone hates phil fish, he's said stupid things that I don't know what? But even though this guy is publicly labeled as a huge jerk, I see prove he's living up to it.

Here's the thing with indie developers, Your Not Notch. I know you see this guy that can pretty much get away and do and say whatever he wants but your not him. Your not the guy that basically made your industry a thing. A person that is constantly giving to gaming charities like child's play and desert bus, funding projects that aren't even his, and spending absurd amount of money on things like humble bundles. Notch is on a pillar, you other devs need to do something good for the industry other then just making a game before you get the right to run your mouth and not get called a jerk for it.

If you do not know the things he said, you should know that he said those rude thing to people who were equally (or worse usually) abusing him.

If people were to start cursing you out everyday, would you not eventually curse them back? Now imagine that the people who were cursing you turned around and said "Look at how big of Jerk this person is". No one cares that they were abusing you first, just that you lashed out. No matter what you said, nope you are a jerk lets insult them some more to get more reaction out of him we can print.

I am sure that if people started to abuse Notch as much as they abused this poor guy, he would leave the industry too.

Oh I don't doubt this guy gets tons of hate but welcome to the internet. A man of his standing as she says, should know better then to react "Look at me, then look at yourself, then go kill yourself" on a public forum that people will see, all because someone just took a small pot shot at his name.

 

[spoonybard.hahs]

People saying they wont buy Fez because they dont like Phil Fish, Thats real sad. Fez is a great game no matter who it was developed by.What im saying is if you dont like Fez because its just not your cup of tea thats all well and good. But not liking a game because the guy who developed it made some questionable comments is just stupid.

In our society, people have a hard time separating art from artist. Many people who do it are fully well aware of how ridiculous it is even as they actively engage in it. For a lot of people I imagine it's just that they don't want their money to go to this person that they despise, even if it means depriving themselves of a somewhat enjoyable experience.

To use a somewhat controversial example, there are thousands of people who are boycotting the Ender's Game movie based solely on the fact that Orson Scott Card is against gay marriage. Now I'm not familiar with Ender's Game, I dunno if the story itself has any anti-gay messages in it (I've been told it doesn't, but I don't know) but to them it doesn't matter if 90% or more of the people who worked on the film are in full support of gay marriage, or are gay themselves, they just don't care. They refuse to give money to it because the guy who wrote the book the movie is based on is against gay marriage.

There's nothing ridiculous about it. Why would anyone want to give money to someone they disagree with or are offended by? I like Ender's Game. It is actually a terrific book. Unfortunately, I had purchased and read it before I knew anything about Card, and now regret doing so. No matter how good the film might be, I will not see it. I don't want my money supporting a man who will use it and his fame to promote hatred. Does this mean that the film studio, cast, and crew get caught in the cross-fire? Yes. But they knew lost ticket sales were a risk when they decided to produce a film based on a book written by an unabashed bigot.

And no, the book isn't full of anti-gay sentiment. Although, there is a twinge of gay subtext in it (unintentional on Card's part). I might have entertained the notion of possibly seeing it, but given Card's comments on the film, yeah, no. Totally not seeing it.

Fish is obviously a lesser example than Card (I am unfamiliar with Fish's politics outside of games). However me buying Fez, or what would have been Fez II, would only condone his behavior. Which I find unacceptable and unbecoming of a "professional." My buying his games feeds his ego which he is clearly unable to control. So much so that rather than give up what he recognizes as an obvious problem and learn from it, he gives up Twitter and his current project.

My hard-earned money is better spent elsewhere than on a simpering man-baby.

 

[spoonybard.hahs]

You know what, I didn't even know they were working on a fez 2, but I'm gonna come out and say it, Nothing of value was lost here. I don't know why, but I do know everyone hates phil fish, he's said stupid things that I don't know what? But even though this guy is publicly labeled as a huge jerk, I see prove he's living up to it.

Here's the thing with indie developers, Your Not Notch. I know you see this guy that can pretty much get away and do and say whatever he wants but your not him. Your not the guy that basically made your industry a thing. A person that is constantly giving to gaming charities like child's play and desert bus, funding projects that aren't even his, and spending absurd amount of money on things like humble bundles. Notch is on a pillar, you other devs need to do something good for the industry other then just making a game before you get the right to run your mouth and not get called a jerk for it.

If you do not know the things he said, you should know that he said those rude thing to people who were equally (or worse usually) abusing him.

If people were to start cursing you out everyday, would you not eventually curse them back? Now imagine that the people who were cursing you turned around and said "Look at how big of Jerk this person is". No one cares that they were abusing you first, just that you lashed out. No matter what you said, nope you are a jerk lets insult them some more to get more reaction out of him we can print.

I am sure that if people started to abuse Notch as much as they abused this poor guy, he would leave the industry too.

There's a point where that stops becoming an excuse. You want to know why Notch doesn't get shat on on Twitter? Because he doesn't go around provoking people. He's something approaching an adult who can let shit slide off of him. Because when you're a public figure, that's what you have to learn to do. Especially when you function and operate in the internet. Fish's reactions were him trying to put out small waste-bin fires with napalm. Was Beer any better? No. Not by a long shot. And certainly all the anonymous douche bags who said anything negative to Fish aren't better, either.

Fish never saw that he was part of the problem. He was in a perpetual Dickwolves moment most of his now very short career. And rather than grow up and try to actually be better than those attacking him, he devolved into a spoiled brat who didn't get the perfect birthday party, and has to ruin it for everyone else.