Shadowrun Reaches New Stretch Goal, Also Adds Controversy

Harebrained Schemes’ upcoming Shadowrun sequel, this time taking place in Hong Kong, has reached its next funding goal, this time adding Is0bel’s side mission to the content available in the game at launch. Is0bel, one of several extra NPCs who exist as stretch goals in the campaign, is summed up thusly:

    Is0bel is a dwarf decker with the tools and the expertise to clear her own way to a target mainframe. Trained for combat by a cabal of hacktivists, she’s as deadly in meat-space as she is in the Matrix.
    Espionage Track: Increases Is0bel’s decking skills and her Mark Target ability. Progressing down this tree unlocks new custom programs/abilities for use in the Matrix, as well as custom Expert System Programs (ESPs).
    Sabotage Track: Is0bel carries a sniper rifle for meat-space skirmishes. Her arsenal also includes proximity mines that she can use to create traps for her enemies. This track increases and adds to the effects caused by these weapons, unlocking higher-yield explosives and Flechettes that strip armor from enemies.

While that’s reason enough for Shadowrun fans to celebrate, a couple of missteps by Harebrained Schemes has led to a rather active discussion amongst fans of the game. First of all was their mentioning of Felicia Day’s funding of the game and their desire (Perhaps jokingly, though) to put her in as an NPC. This upset some people due to Day’s strong views opposing GamerGate as well as the perception that she knowingly exploits gamers and the gaming hobby for her own benefit without being a gamer herself. Which was something writer Ryan Perez brought up before being fired from Destructoid for his views.


As if that wasn’t enough to rattle the birdcage, Harebrained Schemes retweeted a post about their game made by a fan on twitter in which the tweet contained the #GamerGate hashtag. Harebrained Schemes quickly removed the retweet and made this explanation:

As a follower of the movement, I’ve seen no such division, nor have I seen a fragmentation of the hashtag’s goals. This is most likely Harebrained Schemes trying to “have their cake and eat it too” by attempting to placate both sides. They play the sympathetic card and agree with ethics reform and women in gaming, yet endorse the false belief that GamerGate has deviated from its original plan. Either way, the comments section seem to run 50/50 between people who are happy with the Felicia Day support and those who are expressing misgivings.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong has several more stretch goals to go and is currently at $534,775 as of this posting.

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About

Carl is both a JRPG fan and a CRPG'er who especially loves European PC games. Even with more than three decades of gaming under his belt, he feels the best of the hobby is yet to come.


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