In the latest instance of a video game developer unfortunately bowing to the demands of a ‘no fun allowed’ internet outrage mob, the team behind the upcoming indie survival title Farm Folks have offered a formal apology to the public after a joke they made about the game’s ‘jiggle physics’ sparked outrage amongst the terminally offended.
A game of the ‘survival crafting’ variety, Farm Folks, as per its official website, is set to offer players the chance to not only engage with “a unique blend of advanced farming, detailed crafting, and engaging storytelling,” but also “master automated agriculture, immerse yourself in intricate construction, and form bonds with diverse NPCs”, all the while being presented with “extensive customization options for everything from structures to furniture.”
Ostensibly seeking to build hype for the game and have some fun in the process, on April 27th, the game’s dev team took to Farm Folks‘ official Twitter account with a question for its potential playerbase.
Presenting players with a side-by-side image comparing various sizes of breasts upon the game’s female model, the devs asserted to the public, “Alright, folks, it’s time for some serious game development talk! We’re tinkering with character physics in Farm Folks. Burning question: which version has the perfect breast jiggle physics?”
Adding to the joke in a follow-up tweet, the Farm Folks devs further inquired, “Does anyone want to see what [the breast slider set to] 150% looks like?”
At this point, readers are likely to have already guessed how this story ends.
Shortly after posting the above tweets, the Farm Folks team found themselves inundated with backlash from outraged Twitter users, their anger primarily stemming from their belief that any such attention being given to the female form was inherently misogynistic.
In turn, the devs not only deleted their joking tweets, but also issued a lengthy apology to those offended for having acted in such an “inappropriate” manner.
“Hey folks, we’d like to address a recent post where we came to our community asking for feedback,” wrote the team on April 29th. “Our intent is always to connect and grow with our players, but it’s clear that we really missed the mark on our recent community feedback post. For that, we all sincerely apologize.”
“We had received concerns about the female player model’s breast physics in the past, and we thought we should ask the community what felt more appropriate,” they further explained. “Unfortunately, this crossed a line. We try to foster a welcoming community and the post and subsequent replies made may of our community members uncomfortable and alienated. The reply made about ‘150% physics’ was also inappropriate, and we apologize for that. We are taking the necessary steps to learn from this and we’re committed to doing better moving forward.”
“We value the feedback of our community, and work hard to include everyone in the discussion,” the Farm Folks devs continued. “We want to create a game that feels alive, which is why we pay close attention to every aspect of our world, from how weather and time affect the world to the characters’ interactive presence within it.”
“We want everyone to feel included in the games development and will be reevaluating how to best interact with the community, as well as how to best ask for feedback from the community in the future,” the apology eventually concluded. “Your input is instrumental as we continue to develop Farm Folks. We’ll keep sharing updates and progress on X and Discord. Your enjoyment and how you choose to experience our world is our utmost priority. Thank you for being a part of our journey, and for your support and understanding as we grow.”
At present, Farm Folks is set to launch its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign sometime “between Q1 and Q2 of 2024”.