In the past few days, many tough stories have been told regarding abuse and sexual assault within the gaming community. Sparked by blog post (Content Warning) by Nathalie Lawhead, the developer of Tetrageddon Games, more women within the industry have shared their experiences as well. One such experience shared was that of Zoë Quinn, developer of the 2013 game Depression Quest. Quinn recently brought to light allegations of sexual abuse by Alec Holowka, former designer, composer, and programmer for Night In The Woods. Holowka has since been removed from the game, and developer Infinite Fall has announced that they have cut ties with him.
Earlier today, Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry, creators of Night In The Woods, took to Twitter to share this news with the fans of their game, as well as note some important changes coming due to the separation. Because Holowka was a large part of the small studio, Infinite Fall has decided to “[cancel] a current project and [postpone] the Limited Run physical release,” which was announced this past June. The iOS port of Night In The Woods, which is currently in development, will proceed as planned as it is not being handled by Infinite Fall.
According to another Tweet in the thread, Benson and Hockenberry are still working out the details of what comes next for the studio. “Going forward, Night In The Woods will be handled by Bethany and I. We’re not sure what that all means yet. This stuff takes time.” They did, however, offer sincere message to those affected by the news as it relates to the game. “Thousands of people have connected with Night In The Woods in a very personal way. We can’t tell you how to feel about any of this. Whatever you’re feeling is valid.” Further announcements will most likely be made through the game’s Twitter account.