Controversial breast survey divides fans into two camps

Haven't you ever had a farming or construction simulation? Palia, Coral Island or even Animal Crossing played and annoyed you that the busts of female characters in the game just don't jiggle enough? This is most likely what happened to the indie developers at Crytivo who are currently working on their game Farm Folks work.

The fact that the above-mentioned situation requires a targeted and particularly attentive focus on the part of the developers is definitely suggested by a – now deleted – tweet in which the followers were asked which of the attached animations the best breast shaking physics would have. With a toon character. In a farming sim.

Farm Folks: Is it all just a gag? Shot backfires

Okay, the indie developers around founder Alex Koshelkov admit that they may not have been entirely serious. Because starting this post with “It’s time for serious game developer talk” and calling the selection of said physics for Farm Folks a “burning question” is way over the top. That Koshelkov but I didn't expect a corresponding response from the community and nothing about the current discussion Stellar Blade He can tell his grandma if he came along. But he told the gaming platform Kotaku.

The original Twitter post showed a female figure running, her breasts bouncing to the rhythm of her steps at 30%, 50%, and 90% intensity. As if a potential vote on this wasn't absurd enough, the developer followed up with the question “Do you also want to see what 150% looks like?” one more thing. This was received mediocrely or poorly not only in the comments, but also in the game's Discord channel, which forced Koshelkov to react.

“If our post offended anyone in any way, it was not our intention. We work hard to put a smile on our fans' faces. But it seems like our last post evoked a lot of negative emotions“, says the statement in which Koshelkov tries to justify this step. When developing, you pay attention to a lot of details, especially with the characters, for example how they behave her hair in the wind move or Footprints in the sand leave behind. “For us, it feels natural to transfer this physics to brushes. In previous videos we had comments saying we should reduce the shaking, others wanted to keep it that way, so we started a poll.”

Any way you do it, you do it wrong

Just one day later the role was reversed; an apology letter on Twitter – “We want to connect and grow with our fans, but now we've gone too far. We would like to sincerely apologize for this.“It was not clear that the issue was being handled inappropriately; We apologize explicitly for the “150% physics” comment.

We want to apologize. pic.twitter.com/1ZQbUzLORE

— Farm Folks (@farmfolksgame) April 29, 2024

Interestingly, there are many comments under the post that criticize this approach. Crytivo should not distance itself from the haters let it dance around on your nose – those who had originally criticized the issue were not potential buyers anyway, but simply wanted to release pressure.

“A bunch of toxic non-consumers were incredibly rude to you, intentionally misinterpreting your words – and you apologize to them?” Ness it for example. “Companies should finally grow a spine and stand by the principles they pursue as a team,” writes another. “If you want the wobble physics, then do it. Fight, you cowards.”

Harsh words and perhaps once again proof that you can't please anyone. Assuming the developers really just wanted to get feedback from the community in a fun way – as soon as it affects a critical point, you have to expect that it will be over echoes through the forest of social media. And in a week, in which a big title like Stellar Blade is a discussion About oversexualization and questionable representation of people in video games, creating a post about wobbling breasts in your own project has at least some taste.

Sorry – and is everything okay again?

That Koleshkov didn't notice this and only recently It is doubtful that I learned more about it, as he claimed in an interview with Kotaku. Anyone working in the gaming industry would have had to walk through the world with their eyes closed and fingers in their ears to miss this.

“We have it with the joke taken a little too far; that was the problem. Actually, we just wanted to get the physics right.” But it is now important to him that the apology is taken seriously. “There are people who say we shouldn't have apologized and should have stood up to the crowd. But no, we messed up and we’re glad we can apologize.”

Do we really need realistic body physics in a game with this look?

But is that it? Being controversial is perhaps to a certain extent the demands on entertainment media – but as a developer, can I simply say something like this that will obviously and not unjustly offend, perhaps even hurt some people or at least make them uncomfortable, and then simply say: “It was all just a jokehere you have a standard industry apology.”?

According to Koleshkov, Farm Folks will not just be a cozy game, but will be much more immersive and “adult” than other genre representatives and will also have PvE and PvP modes. By the way, the wobbling breasts should, at least partially, remain in play: “It should remain elegant and tasteful – I still believe we will do it.”