From PC World: In July of 2007, a young British gamer calling himself Yahtzee made a short, swear-laden cartoon about the demo for the PS3 game The Darkness. While the presentation was basic and the format was a bit rambling and course, it was an instant hit with online gamers. After just one more breathless episode, Yahtzee was hired to make his Zero Punctuation videos for gaming site The Escapist. And he’s been making a new review almost every single week for the last sixteen years. Until now.
Late Monday evening, news broke across social media that The Escapist’s parent company had fired its video manager Nick Calandra. After a contentious split, it appears that most or possibly all of The Escapist’s current video team has quit in solidarity, including its longest-running reviewer and columnist Ben “Yahztee” Croshaw. Croshaw and many of his former coworkers confirmed their resignations on X, nee Twitter before the end of the day US time.
“Today, I formally resigned from The Escapist and Gamurs. I don’t have the rights to Zero Punctuation, but whatever happens you’ll be hearing my voice again soon, in a new place.”
-Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw
Croshaw notes that the title “Zero Punctuation” belongs to The Escapist, so it’s faintly possible that the company could try to continue the show. But Croshaw’s abrasive style, simplistic animation, and often deeply insightful thoughts on game design and the game industry won’t be a part of it anymore. It’s safe to say that Zero Punctuation, a small but well-loved staple of online gaming culture for more than a decade and a half, is over as we know it.
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