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Fact check: I will never knowingly financially support any game that Sweet Baby Inc has worked on in any way. I am not alone.
1. Summary of the results
The statement reflects a real but controversial stance within the gaming community regarding Sweet Baby Inc., a Montreal-based narrative consultation studio founded in 2018 by former Ubisoft developers [1]. The company employs 16 people and works with game developers to create more authentic and diverse narratives [2]. They have contributed to several high-profile games, including God of War Ragnarök and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 [1].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The original statement omits several crucial pieces of context:
- Company's Actual Role: Sweet Baby Inc. functions as a consulting firm helping developers create more believable and inclusive game worlds, rather than controlling or forcing narrative changes [2].
- Professional Impact: The company has established legitimate partnerships with major game studios, and their clients remain supportive despite online controversies [3].
- Industry Perspective: While some gamers criticize the company for promoting diversity and inclusion [1], others praise their efforts to create safer working environments and more representative content [4].
- Harassment Context: The company has faced significant harassment, including threats of violence and graphic messages directed at their CEO, Kim Belair [3].
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The statement presents several problematic elements:
- Scale Misrepresentation: While the statement suggests a widespread movement ("I am not alone"), evidence indicates this is primarily driven by a targeted harassment campaign on Steam [5].
- Motivation Context: The boycott appears to be part of a broader anti-diversity movement reminiscent of GamerGate, rather than a consumer response to quality issues [5].
- False Narratives: The company has been subject to conspiracy theories and false claims about controlling game narratives [1], which may influence such boycott statements.
- Financial Impact Understanding: The statement's focus on financial impact ignores that Sweet Baby Inc. is a consulting firm whose primary relationship is with developers, not direct consumer sales [2].
Those benefiting from promoting such narratives include:
- Anti-diversity groups seeking to maintain traditional gaming demographics
- Competitors in the narrative consultation space
- Social media influencers and content creators who gain engagement from controversy