"Why are you the way that you are?"
~Michael Scott (The Office)
It’s becoming quite the disturbing trend in the gaming industry that I will forever NEVER grasp: Developers entrusted with shaping beloved franchises are openly expressing disdain for their core audience and potential customer. The latest example here comes from Kolbe Payne, a Level Designer at Crystal Dynamics working on the highly anticipated Perfect Dark reboot.
Shout out to John F. Trent and TheFandomPulse for doing the heavy lifting on this one and screenshot captures!
Payne has not only made inflammatory comments about gamers, but he also attacked those critical of race swaps and certain "portrayals" in gaming, labeling them as "racist pigs."
The Comments That Sparked Controversy
Payne’s views came to light after a history of some pretty insane remarks:
Race Swap Criticism: Payne took to social media in 2021 to berate gamers who opposed the race-swapped Angrboda in God of War: Ragnarok. He called critics “racist pigs” and praised the character as “absolutely stunning.”
“The fact that it’s 2021 and gamers still get mad over a character being black just boggles my mind. It’s time to grow up you racist pigs.”
In December 2023, he tweeted:
“If adding female protagonists to video games is all it takes to make the worst people you’ve ever met not want to play them, we should add female protagonists to every game.”
"Gamers Were a Mistake": In February 2023, Payne responded to allegations of harassment against The Last of Us Part II voice actress Laura Bailey by declaring, “Gamers were a mistake.”
Bigotry Accusations: In June 2023, he lashed out at those critical of Pride Month posts, wishing “all bigots” would “kindly f**k off.” Payne declared:
“Gaming is for everyone. Everyone except the bigots.”
Mocking Gamers: He was referring to streamer xQc’s meeting with Donald Trump as “supporting bigots.”
Anti-Male Lead: Payne often mocks gamers, once posting a meme from Kung Fu Panda to ridicule those who dislike female protagonists:
Targeting Critics: In October, Payne dismissed legitimate concerns about Xbox’s diversity-driven leadership changes, particularly the hiring of Melissa Boone, by labeling critics as bigots hiding behind burner accounts.
After The Fandom Pulse reported this information, guess what (NOT SHOCKINGLY) happened? Of course, Kolbe ran and hid. But instead of protecting his account? Nope.. This time, straight to a deletion. Similar to cockroaches, these people are all the same. They always scatter when shining a light of truth on them.
Payne’s Role on Perfect Dark and Fan Reactions
Payne has been working on Perfect Dark for the past two years, per his LinkedIn profile, and was recently promoted to Level Designer III.
Recent gameplay trailers for Perfect Dark haven’t helped the situation at all. The character redesign of Joanna Dark faced pretty widespread criticism, mostly mocking her gigantic masculine jawline and lack of visual appeal. I wasn't alone here.
Mangalawyer joked: “Joanna Dark’s perfectly symmetrical, masculine jawline makes her the ideal candidate for disguising herself as a man on the most dangerous missions.”
Even industry veterans like former World of Warcraft lead Mark Kern (Grummz) expressed frustration, saying, “Again with the jaw! Perfect Dark Zero.”
The Perfect Dark reboot already raised eyebrows when developer The Initiative touted "inclusivity" as a core value, stating that "diversity of perspectives" was key to their success.
The Industry’s Baffling Customer Hostility
It’s mind-boggling that gaming industry professionals like Payne publicly insult the very audience their work is intended to entertain. Comments like "gamers were a mistake" and blanket accusations of bigotry don't help anything - it only alienates fans and tarnishes the relationship between developers and players.
This isn’t about rejecting diversity or inclusion—it’s about the consistent disdain shown for fans who critique poor design choices or pandering agendas. Gamers have long embraced strong female protagonists, from Princess Peach and Lara Croft to Samus Aran and Jill Valentine, but the industry's obsession with making these characters deliberately unappealing or shoehorning in political narratives feels very... disconnected from what fans actually want.
They STILL Hate You...
Kolbe Payne’s comments are just the latest example in a long line of an ongoing weird phenomenon in modern gaming: developers and industry insiders who openly hold contempt and disdain for their very customers they're trying to supposedly serve. This disconnect is exacerbated by companies prioritizing virtue signaling over quality gameplay and compelling storytelling. It just blows my mind.
The gaming community isn’t against diversity; we never have been. It's against being treated like enemies by the people they fund. Developers like Payne need to remember that their jobs exist because of us, not in spite of. Until that happens, the rift between the industry and its audience will only grow deeper... and this situation is a perfect example of that.
~Smash
Gamers have never had problems with female protagonists. If we did, why is Metroid so good. Same with Tomb Raider as they've said. Hell... Zelda in the latest game Echoes of Wisdom was a badass main character. Heck, in Persona 3 Portable you had the option to choose a female lead. Pokemon, has given you female leads for awhile now. And most people prefer to play as the female trainer anyway. SO the narrative that gamers don't like to play as women in games is false. We do. We like both sides of the picnic table. They just want to make it political because they HAVE to. Especially since many times I think they secretly want to have something to…