Post-Playdate: One Year Later

It’s been a year since October 2024, when I released my last game on the Playdate Catalog. Over the course of that month, I became increasingly concerned about an undercurrent of threatening and antisocial behaviour from one particular member of the community—my frequent reports of which went unanswered. Eventually—exactly a year ago today—that tension surfaced as a campaign of targeted harassment. I was assured something would be done about it, but sadly, nothing ever was.

So I left the Playdate community. Over the following months, I faced various forms of harassment: doxxing, unsavoury DMs, spam campaigns targeting my email, cell phone, and social media accounts, unfounded accusations—the list goes on. I can tell you, this is not my idea of a fun time.

You might think that after a year this would be old news. Sadly, it’s not. I’ve long since moved on with my life and kept creating—for platforms as exotic as the Sega Dreamcast and as familiar as the web. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, and of the choices that allow me to keep doing what I do best, in spite of the people who try to put barriers in my way.

While I continued creating award-winning games, the chance to build the game of my dreams came along—made easier by being an employee at a company that would handle funding, marketing, and the practicalities, freeing me to focus on doing my best work. It was a decision I didn’t take lightly, both because of potential ethical concerns and the fear of further harassment. I sought advice from close friends and had thoughtful discussions with several of them. One friend in particular told me they hadn’t heard of the company, so we didn’t discuss it further. That was back in May.

I announced my first work with the company in July—again, this friend said nothing. Then, in mid-October, I announced my new permanent position, and that same friend suddenly went off the deep end. I asked what had changed since May, when they hadn’t heard of the company, and why nothing was said in July, when I first went public with my new work—yet now, in October, they were suddenly so angry. Their reply:

“One of my friends saw your post and sent it to me saying ‘oh no,’ which is how I found out. And then another friend (who you also know) also said ‘oh nooooooo.’”

So, essentially, this friend had been incited into anger by others—the same social dynamic that fuelled the harassment a year ago. And the worst part? Those two mutual friends are key figures in the Playdate scene—the very people who once promised to address the harassment are now perpetuating it, a year on. I need to find a stronger word than disappointing, but that will have to do for now.

At this point, I’m letting things run their course and will continue to do what I do best: make games. I’m looking forward to you being able to play the next one.

Plus ça change—the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Have fun,
matt