Allegations of sexual harassment were levied at writer Chris Avellonee by multiple women recently, and various developers that were working with the writer have cut ties with him in their wake.

Avellone, who has been involved with projects such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Prey, and others, has been working in a contract capacity with various studios since his departure from Obsidian Entertainment in 2015.

Avellone was serving as a writer on the upcoming Dying Light 2, but developer Techland recently issued a statement on Twitter, stating that in light of the sexual harassment allegations against him, they have “decided to end our cooperation.”

Paradox Interactive – publishers of the upcoming Hardsuit Labs-developed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 – also provided a statement to Gamasutra, saying that Avellone “briefly worked with the Bloodlines 2 writing team early in the development of the game” but that following “an iterative creative process, […] none of his contributions remain in the game.”

Spanish indie developer Gato Studio – who had been working with Avellone on their upcoming RPG The Waylanders – have also issued a statement on Twitter, saying that the writer is no longer associated with the studio or with the project. They added that all of the content he provided “will be assessed as development progresses.”

You can read the studios’ statements below.

Here's the statement regarding our cooperation with Chris Avellone: pic.twitter.com/ozLXZdVPZw

— Techland (@TechlandGames) June 22, 2020

The team here at Gato Salvaje spent the past few days reading the stories shared online and reflecting. We have prepared the following statement with regards to the allegations made against Chris Avellone. pic.twitter.com/GTPjJcXfOs

— Gato Studio (@GatoStudioGames) June 22, 2020

Update: An early access impressions video for The Waylanders has been released, highlighting the game’s environments and overall aesthetic. Check it out below.

Original Story:

Gato Studio premiered a new trailer for its upcoming fantasy RPG The Waylanders at the IGN Summer of Gaming expo, showcasing the expected gameplay. The CRPG inspirations are fairly apparent as we witness battles with a dragon and other evil forces. Check it out below.

The Waylanders sees the player suddenly “untethered from time” after the Celtic ritual of Tuatha de Danaan goes wrong. As such, you’ll be able to shift back and forth between the Celtic and Medieval eras while also investigating what caused things to go wrong. Taking inspiration from the likes of Dragon Age: Origins and Baldur’s Gate, players can choose from six basic classes, 30 advanced classes and five playable races.

Combat will utilize different formations and other tactics. There are also multiple endings to unlock since your choices will have consequences throughout the journey. And yes, there are loyalty missions and romances that can be formed with companions.

The Waylanders is set to release on PC via Steam Early Access on June 16th. Stay tuned for more updates on it in the meantime.