Firewatch dev threatens Pewdiepie video takedown, following YouTube star's use of N-word
"Our game on his channel = endorsement" says Firewatch dev.
UPDATE 11/09/2017 12.14am: Pewdiepie's Firewatch Let's Play has been removed from YouTube. At this point it's not clear if the DMCA takedown was actually issued or if Pewdiepie removed the video as a precautionary measure. We've contacted developer Campo Santo and Pewdiepie for more.
ORIGINAL STORY 10/09/2017 11.10pm: Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg, owner of the most subscribed-to channel on YouTube, has come under fire for using the N-word on a stream.
During a livestream of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds earlier today, Pewdiepie uttered "What a f***ing n*****! Geez! Oh my god! What the f***? Sorry, but what the f***?"
He then laughed at his choice of words: "I don't mean that in a bad [way]."
This isn't the first time Pewdiepie has been shrouded in controversy as earlier this year Disney ditched its partnership with him following what it described as an anti-semitic stunt.
For Firewatch developer Sean Vanaman, Pewdiepie's use of the N-word was the last straw and the game creator decided it didn't want the popular streamer profiting off footage of its product.
"We're filing a DMCA takedown of PewDiePie's Firewatch content and any future Campo Santo games," Vanaman stated on Twitter.
"I am sick of this child getting more and more chances to make money off of what we make," the developer continued.
"He's worse than a closeted racist: he's a propagator of despicable garbage that does real damage to the culture around this industry.
"Freedom of speech is freedom of prosecution. His stream is not commentary, it is ad growth for his brand. Our game on his channel = endorsement."
Vanaman admitted that Campo Santo has indirectly profited from Pewdiepie's publicity in the past, though he wasn't proud of this benefit.
"Furthermore, we're complicit: I'm sure we've made money off of the 5.7m views that video has and that's something for us to think about," Vanaman said of the troubling relationship between the streamer and game sales procured through their work.
Vanaman later clarified that the takedown hasn't officially been issued yet as he said "we'll see what our attorneys have to say about it tomorrow".
Not everyone is as vehement as Vanaman. Some Pewdiepie fans have argued he "didn't mean it in a racial way", or they've pointed to the charitable work the popular streamer has done in the past.
Thus far Pewdiepie has not responded. We'll update if and when he, or YouTube, release a statement regarding the incident.