Introduction

Very recently, game developer Troy Leavitt, former director of the Disney Infinity games, has left Avalanche Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, developer and publisher for the upcoming video game, Hogwarts Legacy, respectively. His resignation came after a slew of articles from the entertainment media smeared him for being "alt-right" or "far right" in light of his YouTube channel.

Due to the timing of his resignation and the environment surrounding Gina Carano's firing (which has already not aged well for Disney and Lucasfilm), it seemed as if Leavitt did not quit out of his own volition and instead, Warner Bros pressured him to resign. It looked like the cancer that is cancel culture, of which some crazies insist that it's a made-up conspiracy theory from conservatives (like Bill Maher and Bill Burr...?), claimed another victim. Heck, multiple YouTube/Odysee channels interpreted it as such.

However, on March 12, Troy Leavitt uploaded a video titled "To My Friends at Avalanche" and his video dispelled a lot of the interpretations regarding his resignation.

Summary of Leavitt's Video

Mr. Leavitt begins his video by showing his letter of resignation. In his letter, he cites the deteriorating family issue of which he described it to be "chronic" and "high maintenance". To explain his situation, the family matter in question began in January 2020. Leavitt went to Avalanche HR to tell them of his plans to retire on August 2020 so that he could move from Salt Lake City, Utah to Clark County, Nevada to help his family. However, Avalanche was very accommodating as they allowed him to work remotely after he had moved. As a result, Leavitt continued to work for Avalanche and Hogwarts Legacy.

Unfortunately, his family matter took a major turn for the worse in February 2021. Coincidentally, that was around the time the entertainment media began to publish hit pieces against him.

Leavitt also iterated that Warner Bros. did not, in any way, pressured him to resign. In fact, they found that his videos did not violate their social media policy and held a supportive stance of the expression of his opinions. For further verification, Leavitt said the same thing about Warner Bros. back in 2018:

"So, if you have expressed that due to my commentary on some gaming industry controversies and my sympathies for the GamerGate movement, that I might have a difficult time should I ever want to return to professional game development. I am happy to say that even though I disclosed this, my YouTube channel, to WB Games, it didn't appear to be an issue for them. Not that they endorse anything that I said, of course, but at least they seem more concerned with making good games than with pushing some kind of a social justice agenda, so there is hope."

Later in the video, Leavitt commented on how the media grossly mischaracterized him. He pointed out how curious that the media was so focused on his "wrong" opinions from up to 5 years ago. Leavitt also observed how the hitpieces didn't come about in response to an instigating incident, like accusations of misconduct, criminal behavior, or even "mean tweets".

In addition, he criticized the articles for prioritizing a narrative over stating the facts. The media tried to stick any label they could on him: alt-right, far right, anti-feminist, misogynistic, racist, a bigot, and so forth. If you actually watch his videos, Leavitt does not espouse any of those types of ideals. For instance, he made a video criticizing Ben Shapiro, a conservative. Leavitt also criticized the media for not doing their due diligence such as when they incorrectly called him the Lead Developer when he was actually the Senior Producer.

The rest of Leavitt's video covered various topics such as his preference for "cafeteria" feminism as opposed to misandrist feminism, his appreciation for the big and small YouTube channels that supported him, his core beliefs, the "cancellation" of JK Rowling over her opinions on sex and gender issues, his future plans, and his praise for Avalanche Studios. Regarding JK Rowling, Leavitt stated that there were some aspects that he agreed and disagreed with. In his opinion, the calmness and civility behind her explanations warranted conversation, not cancellation.

My Thoughts

Warner Bros. and Avalanche Studios handed the situation in an exemplary fashion. This is absolutely how other companies ought to operate. As you can see, the publisher and studio were aware of Leavitt's YouTube videos, but they did not fire him for wrongthink and instead, were supportive as long as he adhered to their social media policies.

Now contrast that with how Disney handled the Gina Carano situation. The entire process was the opposite of transparent. When Disney CEO Bob Chapek was confronted about the matter and the double standards during the shareholders meeting, he merely cited a bunch of broad "values" (of which the company doesn't adhere to). He didn't cite a policy or even a single clause.

The situation with Troy Leavitt highlights the fact that the entertainment media continues to be extremely corrupt and irresponsible. From the poor background research to the false labels in the name of forming a narrative, these transgressions must be rightfully called out and criticized. Of course, the same outlets have been criticized for shady practices for years and yet, they have done little to improve themselves.

I wish Mr. Leavitt the best and hope his family situation improves. If you want to check out his content, the link to his YouTube channel is here. I have followed his channel since 2016. He's a soft-spoken guy, explains his positions eloquently, and carries himself very respectfully even though I do not agree with all of his opinions.