ProbablyMonsters is the latest studio to fire someone for posting about Charlie Kirk
Storm Lancers developer ProbablyMonsters has seemingly fired its global marketing manager for publishing a series of posts commenting on the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
In a sequence of remarks published on Meta-owned social media platform Threads, the studio's global marketing manager appeared to criticize Kirk and joke about his killing. Screenshots of those posts were then circulated on X (formerly Twitter) by a number of right-wing accounts.
"Charlie Kirk's epitaph should read 'Worth it for the second amendment,'" reads one post visible in a screenshot.
"What if Charlie wasn't killed for his beliefs and it was like his scorned gay lover or something? All I'm saying is we're jumping to conclusions here," adds another.
The poster described themselves as "Global Marketer @ ProbablyMonsters" on their Threads account, which looks to have been deleted alongside their Instagram profile.
Just days after screenshots of their posts were shared on X, ProbablyMonsters confirmed it ousted an employee due to comments made on social media in relation to Kirk that violated its social media policy.
The company did not mention the employee by name.
"Respect is one of our core values. Comments recently made by a former employee about Charlie Kirk's death were offensive and violated our social media policy. We do not tolerate this behavior, and the individual is no longer with the company," said the company on X.
Multiple game workers have now been fired for posting criticism of Charlie KirkA former ProbablyMonsters employee has shared a copy of the company's social media policy, obtained prior to their departure this year, with Game Developer. They requested anonymity for fear of retaliation and noted the policy may have changed after their exit.
That version of the document reminds employees to use "good judgement" when posting online and underlines anything they say could reflect on the company itself.
It also instructs staff to demonstrate professionalism and honesty on social media, and states they must not circumvent the company's core values.
Notably, the policy covers an employee's personal use of social media accounts. It adds that workers who violate its terms may face disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
Game Developer reached out to ProbablyMonsters for comment. A company spokesperson referred us back to the statement shared on social media.
Game workers being fired for sharing their thoughts on Charlie Kirk after his shooting has become something of a trend. Last week, Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming confirmed a Ghost of Yotei artist called Drew Harrison was fired for joking about the situation on social media.
"Drew's no longer an employee here," Fleming explained during an interview with Game File. "I think we're aligned as a studio that celebrating or making light of someone's murder is a deal-breaker for us."
Ready or Not developer Void Interactive then fired a community manager after they commented on the killing of Kirk in the game's Discord channel.
"We are aware of comments made by our community manager about a recent tragic event," said Void in a community update posted on Steam. "These statements do not reflect our values or represent our company."
Editor's note: The name of ProbablyMonster's former marketing manager was removed from this article at their request.
