The Twitch streamer DrDisrespect founded the gaming studio Midnight Society in 2021 along with others. They worked on a first-person extraction shooter that was meant to be particularly “vertical”: Deadrop (PC, later: Xbox, PS5). A release is scheduled for 2025, but there are troubles.
How did the separation from DrDisrespect go? The developers said on June 24 on Twitter that they had learned of the accusations against DrDisrespect, initially believing in his innocence but then starting to talk to those involved. In order to adhere to their own standards as people and as a studio, they had to act and distance themselves from DrDisrespect. It was a difficult decision, but it was their duty.
On June 24, DrDisrespect learned while he was live on YouTube that his gaming studio was distancing itself from him and ending the collaboration. For DrDisrespect, this was visibly a shock; he had not expected it. Later, he described it as a goal and dream
to develop his own game with a studio. A dream that has now burst.
In the comments, many fans of DrDisrespect criticized the decision and predicted the studio’s downfall. Without DrDisrespect, no one is interested in their game.
I am one of many who were laid off
This is the latest development: Through posts on social media, such as Linkedin, it became clear over the weekend that Midnight Society laid off numerous employees three months after distancing itself from DrDisrespect.
The studio itself confirms “significant layoffs” to PCGamer, but does not specify a number. A content creator who is involved with the game says it is “about half of the workforce.”
Studio blames unexpected challenges
for layoffs
This is what the studio says:
Unfortunately, Midnight Society has faced several unexpected challenges in recent months. To adapt to these changes and secure the future of Midnight Society, Deadrop, and our commitment to innovative gaming experiences, we made the difficult decision to streamline our operations, which also entails significant staff reductions. We would not be here without the contributions of those affected, and we thank them for their incredible work, support them, and wish them the best.
The studio reaffirms its intention to release Deadrop in 2025.
Nightmare scenario for game studio
This is what it’s about: When you develop a game around an influencer and have to distance yourself from them, it is one of the most negative scenarios a game developer can find themselves in:
- On the one hand, DrDisrespect was prominently featured in the game and now has to be removed.
- On the other hand, the game was only relevant for many because DrDisrespect was promoting it. Some may have only bought it because of him.
Distancing from DrDisrespect also means taking a clear stance in the conflict and therefore probably not gaining any more buyers but only losing former supporters. The game has thus alienated exactly those gamers that it had chosen as its target audience, as can be seen from the comments.
The future of Deadrop has become much more difficult with the scandal surrounding DrDisrespect and the separation from him. This could already be foreseen months ago: A shooter like Escape from Tarkov relied entirely on DrDisrespect for marketing – Explains how it continues after the scandal
