Developers of Night in the Woods Infinite Fall have released an official statement regarding the recent allegations made against composer and co-designer Alec Holowka, severing ties with their former composer and addressing the situation as a whole. The full statement can be viewed on the developer’s Twitter, but here is a brief excerpt of their response to the situation:
This week, allegations of past abuse have come to light regarding Alec Holowka, who was coder, composer, and co-designer on Night In The Woods. We take such allegations seriously as a team. As a result and after some agonizing consideration, we are cutting ties with Alec… Thousands of people have connected with Night In The Woods in a very personal way. We can’t tell you how to feel about any of this. Whatever you’re feeling is valid. Your experience with art is yours. What it means to you is yours, regardless of anything else… Going forward, Night In The Woods will be handled by Bethany and I. We’re not sure what that all means yet. This stuff takes time. Thanks for your support over the years. We’re sorry to even have to say any of this. That’s all I can say at the moment. Thank you for your patience.
Alec Holowka was accused by developer Zoe Quinn of both sexually assaulting and emotionally manipulating her, as well as blacklisting her from industry circles. her full account can be seen on her Twitter, and posted below:
I’ve been silent about this for almost my entire career and i can’t do it anymore. Sorry if this is rambling and messy, I’m scared shitless to out an industry legend like this but I can’t live with the secret anymore 1/2 pic.twitter.com/DpbhtuaoEP
— zoë “Baddie Proctor” quinn (@UnburntWitch) August 27, 2019
Following the disassociation from Holowka, Infinite Fall has also made the decision to postpone the release of the Limited Run Games physical release of Night in the Woods and has stated that a small, unnamed project intended for Kickstarter backers of the original game has also been canceled. The iOS port of the game, however, remains on track as it is being handled by a different developer under the supervision of the publisher Finji.
Night in the Woods is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4.