Orcs Must Die! Unchained studio clarifies that bad behavior will lead to bans

Orcs Must Die! Unchained designer Jerome K. Jones said last week that "toxic players" aren't just a fact of online gaming life, but are actually a desirable audience—not for their bad behavior, but for the "passion" they bring to the games the play. In a follow-up statement, however, developer Robot Entertainment said there's a big difference between passion and toxicity, and insisted that bad behavior will not be tolerated.

"Earlier today a headline suggested that Robot Entertainment welcomes toxic players in Orcs Must Die! Unchained. In the full interview, we acknowledged that toxic players are an unfortunate facet of multiplayer gaming. We made clear that we want to hear from all players no matter how passionate they may be. Passionate but not toxic. We have an active community management team in place that will address toxic players quickly and decisively," the studio wrote.

Robot said its efforts to build an "encouraging and uplifting community" for Orcs Must Die! Unchained will be aided by input from players during the closed beta period, which is now underway. "Community feedback has always been an integral part of the Robot development process, and we want to ensure we hear from all players including our most passionate of players," it continued. "But if a person chooses to restrict or impede upon the gameplay and community experience with inappropriate behavior, then we will ensure they are disciplined and, if needed, banned."

Robot Entertainment's statement can be read in full at OrcsMustDie.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.