GYGO: Keffels “No Longer a Suspect” After Being Swatted

Welcome back to Get Your Game On! My name is Zainabb and I’ll be your guide through this week’s gaming news. My brain and body have been mush lately from sickness and hot weather so I haven’t been able to do much gaming. However, I did build a 1980s-themed high school in The Sims that I’m extremely proud of, and I’ve also been watching playthroughs of The Mortuary Assistant, which has some great scares I would never be able to handle playing through myself. Just call me a pro gamer.

Anyway, here’s what’s been happening in gaming this week.

Trans Twitch Streamer Keffels Is “No Longer a Suspect” After Being Swatted

Content note: transphobia and police violence.

Last week, Twitch streamer Clara “Keffals” Sorrenti posted a YouTube video detailing a recent swatting incident where she woke up at home to police officers pointing assault rifles at her. She explained that, following this already-traumatising event, she was arrested and questioned, where she was subjected to transphobic mistreatment by the police.

Sorrenti stated that emails impersonating her had been sent to local council members in London, Ontario, which said that she had killed her own mother, possessed an illegal firearm, and planned to murder every cisgender person in city hall. Police took these threats seriously, despite the emails using Sorrenti’s deadname alongside several other errors. Surprising absolutely no-one, the police also used Sorrenti’s deadname during her arrest.

Much of Sorrenti’s streaming equipment was confiscated and she was left unable to log into her Twitch account without her phone, due to two-factor authentication. Sorrenti was finally cleared as a suspect on August 12, with the police acknowledging the situation as swatting and returning Sorrenti’s equipment to her. London police have stated that they’re now investigating the source of the fake emails.

Sorrenti has set up a moving and legal fund which has already raised over CAD$90,000.

In other news…

A second labour complaint has been brought against Nintendo in the US and Aston Carter, which Nintendo of America uses to recruit workers. The complaint alleges that the companies’ “coercive rules” have negatively impacted a worker’s ability to “engage in protected activity with others.” Specific details have not been released to the public but it’s likely that the allegation refers to workers’ rights to unionise or discuss their working conditions. Back in April, a similar complaint was made against Nintendo of America and Aston Carter’s “coercive actions.”

This month, Indiana became the first state to pass an anti-abortion law following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, with an extremely restrictive abortion ban taking effect from September 15. As a result, tabletop gaming convention Gen Con is now considering moving from Indianapolis, its home of 19 years. Gen Con took place at the beginning of the month with at least one publisher pulling out of the convention following the state’s abortion ban, and several more issued statements in protest.

In other convention news, TwitchCon has done a U-turn on its Covid safety policies and will now require masks to be worn indoors alongside proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours. While it’s frustrating that Twitch didn’t implement Covid-aware policies from the start, the move will at least allow more immunocompromised and at-risk people to attend TwitchCon in October.

Unity has signed a “three-year multi-million dollar” contract with CACI, a company that works with the US government on defence projects. Last year, several Unity developers expressed concern about the company’s involvement in defence and military technology, and called on Unity to be more transparent about their role in this work.

A live-action Pac-Man film is in development from Bandai Namco and Wayfarer Studios. Further details are yet to be announced but we do know that Chuck Williams, who was an associate producer on the recent Sonic the Hedgehog live-action adaptation, will be producing.

In other game movie news, the third Sonic film now has a release date of December 20, 2024. It’s unclear whether this will be a global release date or whether this will change closer to the time.

1992’s survival horror classic Alone in the Dark will be remade by developers Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic. The remake is set to release next year, and it’ll focus around a new story featuring characters, themes, and locations from the first three games in the series.