I'm the investigator at OpenCritic, and our report is indeed out Monday. Brash Games requested to be removed after learning about our investigation, which launched in March. We made a promise when we launched that we would conduct and publish investigations when we get evidence of wrongdoing, so that's what we're going to do.
Ahead of that, I just want to say that I strongly urge the gaming community to use this opportunity to practice compassion, understanding, and forgiveness. This seems to be a case of a hobbyist who got in a bit over his head.
This article is immature and ultimately self-defeating. It's simply unprofessional and goes against civility. Does the author think that moves like this help his odds of getting hired? Does this really help make serious amends? Does it help motivate Brash Games to restore content rights or fix their issues? In general, I simply want to dissuade mob justice here, which articles like this can sometimes spark. OpenCritic was explicitly mentioned in Ben's article, and I don't want anyone to read that as an endorsement.
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It was a mistake for me to post this so late at night. To be honest, running with this investigation has been personally taxing; in finalizing the report, I've been worried about the dark portions of the gaming community and what they might do as a result (DOXing, harassment, etc.). It might sound silly and possibly arrogant, but it's been something that's been keeping me up at night. I've heard so many stories from colleagues in the industry about death threats, harassment, etc.
When I saw the blurb about the OpenCritic report, I felt partially responsible for what I perceive as vandalism. The thought of "what if I just sparked something terrible?" is personally unnerving.
My intent in posting here was to dissuade mob justice. My comments were improper and for that I apologize. It was an amateur gut reaction.