Controversy Surrounding YouTuber’s Claims of Harassment by Game Developer
A YouTube content creator, known for exposing low-effort games on the Nintendo Switch eShop, has recently accused Moldovan game developer, Midnight Works, of orchestrating an attack on his channel.
The Allegations
YouTuber Luke Wild, who runs the SwitchStars channel, has shared a video on his YouTube channel highlighting what he claims to be targeted harassment against him by Midnight Works. Wild presents messages he received via Discord as evidence to support his claims.
Details of the Attack
The messages revealed by Wild involve whistleblowing Midnight Works employees allegedly warning him about a request within the company to submit false reports to YouTube. These reports were intended to result in strikes against Wild’s channel, thereby disrupting its operations.
Upon translating the messages, it becomes apparent that the request was sent via Midnight Works’ Slack channel, urging employees to randomly select and submit harassment reports on a few of Wild’s videos. The request specified submitting one report from an employee’s home computer and another from their phone.
Wild’s Investigation
To support the legitimacy of the messages, Wild analyzed the backend statistics of his channel. After the request was supposedly sent, he noticed a significant increase in activity, indicating potential coordinated efforts against his channel.
In a subsequent screenshot, Wild received another message displaying the same request, now including a timestamp. The sender this time was the company’s Human Resources manager, with the message sent to 239 members of the “team-midnight” Slack group. Midnight Works claims to have a team of over 240 individuals, making the request almost company-wide.
Previous Controversies
This is not the first time Wild and Midnight Works have clashed. The game developer has previously filed copyright claims against Wild’s channel, albeit without success. However, this recent allegation of harassment is of a different nature, as harassment reports are anonymous and do not generate notifications for the affected channel.
The Involvement of Midnight Works
In light of the serious claims made by Wild, official statements from Midnight Works have yet to be released. However, their response to the allegations will be added to this article as soon as it becomes available.
Background
Wild was previously interviewed for an article covering the rise of low-quality games flooding the Nintendo Switch eShop. The analysis explored the proliferation of “scam” and “keyword bingo” titles, with Midnight Works being one of the companies associated with these questionable practices.
Source: YouTube
