It started with GameTrailers’ Invisible Walls when media member Marcus Beer criticized Phil Fish and Jonathon Blow, the creators of Fez and The Witness respectively. Fish, for his part, did’t take it very well and snapped, stating that, “The thing with us ‘tosspots’, ‘hipsters’ is that we’re not beholden to media leeches like you. And you’re right. We’re VERY successful. And we’re not going anywhere. Get used to it you middle-aged parasite. Compare your life to mine and then kill yourself.”
This was on Twitter, and it only got messier, with Fish demanding a public apology that clearly wasn’t forthcoming. After things went south, Fish protected his Twitter account and stated, “i’m done. FEZ II is canceled. goodbye.”
Polytron echoed this statement on its Twitter account, stating that, “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce that FEZ II has been cancelled and is no longer in development. We apologize for the disappointment.”
Surprisingly, it only gets worse.
Beer called for all media outlets to boycott covering games from Fish and Blow, before inviting Fish to PAX to discuss the issue. “The invite is there. If you want to talk & prove me wrong, happy to do so. I also said you were hugely respected. You don’t help with the way you communicate. You alienate people myself included.”
Fish has not responded yet. Stay tuned for more information.