Rust developer cancels community event due to death threats
Rust developer Facepunch Studios has canceled a small event that would have taken place at a coffee shop in San Francisco next week, citing «an IRL threat.»
The meet and greet was set to take place near the 2023 Game Developers Conference, and was pitched by Facepunch as a chance for conference attendees and fans to meet the Rust team, share their portfolios, and «talk shop.»
In an email exchange, Rust producer Alistair McFarlane told PC Gamer that threats are «commonplace» for developers of the survival game.
«Community facing staff see threats daily,» he wrote, typically from players who «lash out on social media» over changes they don't like. McFarlane also pointed to cheat makers and users as a source of harassment and threats, saying that individuals from the «cheat community» will «often go to great efforts to target individual staff members.»
In some instances, staff members and their families have had to «change personal details» due to doxxing, McFarlane said, which «often takes a heavy toll on their mental health.»
The location of next week's event had been broadcast publicly, and following «threats to kill,» the studio decided that holding it would present too great a safety risk and cause too much anxiety for staff.
«These threats are very concerning and must be taken seriously,» said McFarlane.
Facepunch will still be attending GDC as planned, and says that those who'd planned to go to the meetup can instead get in touch by email.
This is not a statement we're happy to announce.Due to an IRL threat we must take seriously, we're going to have to cancel the GDC meetup in San Fran next week.
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