The Harebrained Schemes team will have to wait a bit before popping the champagne on their new deal where the BattleTech developer was acquired for $7.5 million by Paradox Interactive.
Waypoint reports that, after a few days where at least six women detailed sexual abuse and harassment by Harebrained designer Tyler Carpenter, Carpenter has confirmed the allegations and resigned from the company after three years.
“My bullshit is not the kind of thing HBS [Harebrained Schemes] stands for or tolerates, and HBS had no idea any of this happened,” Carpenter told Waypoint. “Because of that, for the good of HBS and my victims, I’ve resigned from HBS effective immediately. There doesn’t need to be any inquiry because, frankly, everything is true.”
Paradox and Harebrained Schemes also confirmed to Waypoint that Carpenter was no longer with the company and gave this statement:
“There has been communication between Paradox and Harebrained Schemes on this matter and it has already been dealt with internally,” said the companies in a joint statement. “Tyler Carpenter has been dismissed from the company with immediate effect. All of this took place prior to the acquisition deal between Paradox and Harebrained Schemes being finalised, so therefore Paradox have no comment to make.”
One of the accounts of Carpenter’s confirmed harassment came from cosplayer and streamer Lauren Bond, who worked with him on streams. He stated sexual feelings for Bond, even openly flirting with her in front of her girlfriend. In other instances, he’s engaged in in-person harassment, sent messages and left unwanted comments on Facebook, and outright grabbed a woman’s rear and said “too bad” when she stated her displeasure with the abuse.
“Believe every accusation,” Carpenter told Waypoint. “I don’t recall each one, and some I have a different recollection of, but obviously the sheer mass of shared experiences means that I’m the one who’s got a faulty memory, not them. I hurt, emotionally manipulated, and wrong [sic] every one of those accusers due to my own selfishness, thoughtlessness, and need for validation.”
Source: Shacknews Harebrained Schemes Dev Says Every Sexual Harassment Accusation Is True, Resigns