http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-03-23-playtonic-removes-controversial-youtuber-jontron-from-yooka-laylee

Were you looking forward to playing this game? Does this change anything for you?

I am only semi-interested in this game (not enough to pay full price), but this news actually makes me more likely to get the game at some point.

JonTron was going to be in the game?

Huh, never knew that.

Still going to play it regardless since Jon was not the focal point of the game for me.

Definitely going to get it at some point, probably when it drops in price (or I have a computer capable of running it, not sure it will work on my laptop or not)

I had no idea there was voice work by some random Youtube person, and couldn't are less that he has been dropped. In fact (just reading the news story linked) I fully support the Devs for doing so (and for their right to do so).

First... I have no idea who this is.

Second... I think it stupid for any company to cut ties with someones based solely on personal views unless those personal views are presented while said person is representing said company or product. I mean it sounds like his work with the game was done a long time ago, nor did the article say he was claiming to represent them or playing their game when this happened. What people believe and say on there own time is their business in my view. Would you remove someone from a game or movie from 5 - 10 years ago because they expressed controversial views today? Doubtful. The vast majority would not have known nor cared, but now because they removed him it will blow up into a bigger story than it would have been. But yea they have every right to do so if they wish.

Third... you can bury your head in the sand all day long, but issues such as immigration, nationalism, and the like are real issues that should be open to public conversation. Pretending these issues don't exist helps nobody. People would do well to put on their big boy pants and not get offended because someone shares a different ideology because these are real issues with real consequences.

Fourth... would I still buy the game? Yea. I see why they did it, I just don't really see it as necessary. In fact it will probably make the story bigger and could potentially negatively impact them worse than the original story about what he said. To many people and companies today want to be politically correct, and in the end they will only succeed in pissing off one side or the other by bowing to what they see as public perception.

EDIT: This is of course based solely on what the article stated... I don't personally know all that was involved.

And here I thought this forum would avoid this controversy altogether, given how it ignored the fallout of that debate he participated in. No matter. Onto the topic at hand:

Yes, I am looking forward to this game. I haven't played a 3D platformer in this vein in a very long time, and would love to a see a new game of this genre made that applied to it some modern design principles and control schemes.

No, this doesn't change anything for me. To preempt a lot of the complaints regarding this, assuming it goes the same way as it did in all the other websites I've seen this in, I disagree this has anything to do with free speech. Companies distance themselves from, and even fire people, based on their public opinions and persona all the time if they think those are incongruous with the company. Also, I don't think this was a case of merely differing opinions, the views he has expressed are very extremist and go beyond the realm of mere polite disagreement, which is what prompted this response from Playtonic.

As dtgreene said, word for word.

Don't know him, don't know the game....so, no then :P

*looks at game*....uh, not my thing so, nah box.

I have to say that I've never been a fan of adding Youtubers to games in general: it's immersion-breaking and usually cringey (expecially if you don't know\like them).
Hidden Easter Eggs are a bit better, but still weird. Maybe a DLC for fans is the only good oprtion.

About the specific news: I'm not very informed, because I don't follow JonTron (he never interested me much).

What did dude actually say?

Because the only thing I could find in a half-assed search was pretty bland.

Where's the tweet where he trumpets the forthcoming race war? Or re-tweets some jihadi mumbo jumbo? Or, like, what? What did dude do?

It is just the way life is these days - you have to follow the directives of political correctness or you will be cut off, its that simple.

Noticed how many celebrities publicly support trump for example? There are some, but many don't have the courage to admit that, because its the pressure of political correctness.

You have the right to freedom of opinion, but with that you also have the right to lose your sponsors, you have the right to lose your endorsements, you have the right to be overlooked in your career, you have the right to be forgotten by society.

Funny how that works isn't it, I don't see this dude being any worse than this guy who worked for EA with his far left borderline racist views. He didn't matter though, he wasn't far right.