Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV, more commonly known as Dr Disrespect, is a popular streamer and co-founder of Midnight Society. The studio parted ways with him in 2024 after private messages leaked, showing him communicating with minors inappropriately. In addition to releasing numerous NFTs, the company was developing a free-to-play FPS called Deadrop, slated for release in 2024. Unfortunately, the game will never launch, as the studio has announced its closure on X.
“Today we are announcing Midnight Society will be closing its doors after three incredible years,” the studio wrote. Midnight Society stated that it was actively looking for other game studios with openings for its staff. The studio also expressed gratitude to its community members and apologized for failing to fulfill its goals.
Although fans weren’t surprised by the news, many were disappointed. After all, the studio had sold various NFTs to fund Deadrop, and now the game would never be released. Some fans questioned whether the company would offer refunds since the project had been abandoned. The unspoken consensus is that they would not. “Just like that… huh? LOL, wow,” one fan replied on X.
Some fans even criticized and mocked Midnight Society for cutting ties with Dr Disrespect. While most people condemned him for his inappropriate actions toward minors, some still defended the streamer. “Lol never saw this coming. Next time don’t fall into the trap of cancel culture,” another fan commented. “Sorry to say but this was your own doing by poor management at the top!”
Gamers on Reddit commented that the closure was expected since both the studio and Deadrop were largely supported by Dr Disrespect and his fans. Another Redditor noted that even if the studio had survived, the game was unlikely to succeed. “Beyond aesthetics, the only major gameplay hook Deadrop had was having maps with a strong vertical focus,” one Redditor wrote.
Midnight Society’s closure follows a round of layoffs after the studio encountered unexpected challenges. Ironically, as the company announced its shutdown, fans also discovered that Dr. Disrespect’s YouTube channel was no longer demonetized.
