A surprising turn of events in a harassment case involving the Sea of Thieves community has sparked outrage. Victims who reported harassment endured during their own live streams for Sea of Thieves have been punished by the game's developer. As a result, many in community are upset and making their displeasure known. Despite not making much of a splash at launch, Sea of Thieves has continued to grow since its release, gathering a loyal community that prizes interaction with other players as one of the game's biggest strengths.
The case in question refers to a Sea of Thieves streamer by the name of Rocco, which is a puppet on Twitch operated by a gaming couple. Their reports of abuse through Sea of Thieves started last year and, according to developer Rare, action was taken against some of the harassers involved. This, however, sparked even more harassment toward the couple, particularly of a misogynistic and ableist nature. The issue has only continued to escalate for all parties involved in recent months.
GamesIndustry.biz reports that the Sea of Thieves streamers behind Rocco were recently removed from the Sea of Thieves Partner Programme by developer Rare. This is the latest development in the ongoing saga, the majority of which has been documented in a statement from Rocco's operators that was posted by SayHeyRocco on TwitLonger. The decision by Rare was carried out shortly after Rocco's creators called the developers "monsters" for how they handled their complaints. In response to Rare's actions, fellow Sea of Thieves streamers, including Jason Sulli, Carrillo, and Gullible Gambit, have all voluntarily left the same Partner Programme in protest against the developer and in solidarity with Rocco's creators.
There have also been reports that former and current Rare employees have been dissuaded by the company from taking a stance on the issue. The few who have spoken out have reportedly received varying levels of pushback from the developer, including threats of losing their jobs. The whole situation seems to have spun out of Rare's control and by no means appears close to a conclusion.
What makes something like this so frustrating is that there are few measurable facts, with only conflicting reports to go on. One thing is clear, however: the Sea of Thieves streamers behind Rocco felt and continue to feel threatened. While Rare says it took action in the beginning, the question remains if it was enough and sadly that cannot be measured. It is entirely up to the observers to make their own judgments and in this case, there are many takes on the issue. Now, however, it seems that Rare has fallen into potential victim blaming in a short sighted response to a harsh accusation that was likely made out of fear and frustration. This situation is far from over and is sadly one of many across the gaming world. That fact, however, does not diminish its importance nor should it dissuade those dealing with such harassment from standing up for themselves and letting their voices be heard.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz, SayHeyRocco/TwitLonger