YouTuber cameo removed from Sea of Stars following allegations of charity fraud
Sabotage Studio, the developer of the hit indie RPG Sea of Stars, has confirmed that a cameo appearance by YouTuber Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil has been removed from the game after the content creator was accused of charity fraud.
The details:
Over the past month, YouTubers Mutahar "SomeOrdinaryGamers" Anas and Karl Jobst have been investigating Khalil's family-run charity, The Open Hand Foundation, leading to allegations of charity fraud. According to Anas and Jobst, Khalil hosted several events, including IndieLand, to raise funds for the charity over the years, but it was discovered that over $600,000 was never donated to organizations that were claimed to be its partners.
Over the years, Sabotage has developed a relationship with Khalil, with the studio's titles being featured during the IndieLand livestreams, including an early version of Sea of Stars from 2020 and other special content for the fundraiser. This unofficial collaboration eventually resulted in the YouTuber appearing in the game as an NPC named "Jirard the Constructionist" in the full release.
Co-founder and game director Thierry Boulanger confirmed in a message posted to Sabotage's official Discord server last week that after "carefully monitoring events over the past few weeks," the developer decided to remove the NPC in an update as it aims to "make it a priority to maintain a positive and optimistic space that reflects the spirit of our intentions, be they creative or otherwise." Khalil's NPC has been replaced by "Bob," which is most likely a nod to Bob the Builder.
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