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[Update] Turtle Rock Community Manager Fired Over Donald Sterling Remarks
Update: We've received a comment from Josh Olin further clarifying his Twitter remarks and on his termination by 2K Games and Turtle Rock.
Josh Olin: "Anyone who follows me knows my tweets were not in support of Sterling's actions. Rather, they were promoting three core tenets I believe in: 1) The harm sensational media presents to society. 2) The importance and sanctity of your privacy within your own home. And 3) The right to be whatever you want to be as an American, as long as it isn't hurting anyone else. That last point not to be confused with condoning Sterling's actions, which I don't.
"That said, it's disappointing to see that a select few in Turtle Rock and 2K Games management bought into this hysteria without even having a conversation with me - or even thoroughly reviewing the context of the tweets themselves. Ironically, it serves as a great example of why I hold tenet #1 above so close to heart. That said, everyone should totally still buy Evolve. The guys and gals making that game know their ***, and are making it good."
Original Story:
Turtle Rock Studios community manager Josh Olin, who has been promoting its upcoming co-op multiplayer game Evolve, has been released from the position following some controversial tweets about embattled L.A. Clipper owner Donald Sterling.
Today, on his Twitter account, Olin wrote the following statements regarding now-banned NBA owner Donald Sterling, who was recorded making racist and inflammatory comments by an ex-girlfriend:
These comments were quickly picked up by Twitter users and began to circulate on the Internet. Today, in response, Turtle Rock issued the following tweets, which seem to suggest that Olin is no longer the studio's community manager (note use of the word "former):
Following these tweets, Olin returned to Twitter to clarify his statements and take a shot at a few media outlets that had reported on his tweets:
We've reached out to both Turtle Rock and Olin for comment.
Our Take:
We'll leave it to you to interpret the situation and Olin's remarks, with the aside that Donald Sterling's comments regarding race are far beyond the pale. It's a good reminder that, in the world of social media, there is no such thing as a "personal account" - tweet carefully. It also probably didn't help Olin that his publisher, 2K, also has a very close relationship with the NBA. Pressure may have come from the league itself to get this matter resolved.
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