Ex-Sweet Baby Inc. writer responds to viral video, claims 'misinformation'
Cliffhanger Games employee Dani LaLonders has addressed an old interview where they admitted to only hiring people of color
Update 03/26/24: Ex-Sweet Baby Inc. employee Dani LaLonders has taken to X to address the controversial video where they admitted to only hiring people of color.
LaLonders, who is now an associate junior narrative designer at EA-owned Cliffhanger Games, wrote a lengthy rebuttal that claims “misinformation” is to blame for the backlash they received, and denies not hiring white people while working on their dating simulator game, ValiDate.
“Okay, let’s address this,” LaLonders begins. “In this video [which you can find below], I very clearly stated that the team for ValiDate is mostly people of color because I wanted to have a team of people who reflected on the game we were working on. If you played ValiDate, you understand why this was important.”
LaLonders goes on to say, “This video is a bit outdated (recorded in the summer of 2021). ValiDate was released in September of 2022. From when this video was recorded to release, we had a few white developers join our team to help us with some music and audio needs.
“Nowhere in this video did I say we don't hire white people or that I hate white people. I very clearly said we wanted to have a team that reflected the values of the game we were making. As a lead, you pick the best people possible for the job.
“In this case, the best people for the job were the people who understood the kind of game we were making. Developers working on a game full of queer characters who understand the importance of queerness in games that is realistic and respectful towards queer people.”
LaLonders then moves on to discuss the part of the video interview where she said white people can cause microaggressions.
“In the latter half of the video, I spoke about micro-aggressions in the workplace. If you are a person of color, you understand precisely what I meant. That being said, I am very well aware that white people are not the only ones who can commit micro-aggressions in the workplace.
“Micro-aggressions can be committed by anyone towards anyone else in the workplace. But in the context of what I was talking about, I had fears of certain treatment towards my marginalized workers in the workplace. I wanted my team to feel safe while working on ValiDate.”
LaLonders went on to clarify that they have only been working at Cliffhanger Games for nine months, and these views do not reflect their current values or the values of the EA-owned company.
“The way LoT [Libs of TikTok] posted this video made it seem like I am the lead developer/hiring director at Cliffhanger Games. I am not. My title is an Associate (junior) Narrative Designer [Editor’s note: Dani LaLonders doesn’t list that she is a junior narrative designer on LinkedIn or in their X bio]. I don't have any power in terms of hiring and never had.
“I have also only been working at Cliffhanger for about nine months. This video pre-dates my time at Cliffhanger by two years. Again, this video is old and does not reflect my current values or the current reality of my company, Veritable Joy Studios.”
LaLonders concludes the thread by blaming the backlash they received on “misinformation” and urges people to “do some research before they post”.
“Before I end this thread, please let this be a lesson for everyone to do some research before they post. I have seen a lot of misinformation posted about this situation from journalists, content creators, and even TikTok lawyers.
“Misinformation spreads like a wildfire. Misinformation has led people to be massively racist towards me and my company. Spamming my socials, email, and even my LinkedIn with anti-black racism, death threats, images of lynchings, the KKK, and other racist imagery.”
Finally, LaLonders issues an apology at the end of the thread.
“All of this to say, I am sorry if I made you upset in any way with the contents of this video. I hope this explanation clears things up. Have a nice day everyone.”
You can read the original story and see Dani LaLonders’ video interview below.
⛔ Electronic Arts-owned Cliffhanger Games designer admits to only hiring people of color in the past
🤷🏿♀️ LaLonders said it was safer to work with “people who are just like me”
🧑💼 LaLonders appears to have violated US employment laws
🦸🏿 Cliffhanger Games is working on a game based on Marvel’s Black Panther
Original story: The associate narrative designer of Cliffhanger Games, an EA-owned studio that’s currently working on a game based on Marvel’s Black Panther, has admitted to only hiring people of color in a previous role. It’s causing a stir online today and may even be in direct violation of US employment opportunity laws.
As shared by Libs of Tiktok on X, an interview with Dani LaLonders – who previously worked as a narrative design intern at Sweet Baby Inc. – shows LaLonders openly admitting to only hiring people of color because “Sometimes it is hard to work with white people.”
“I have a team of 21 right now for ValiDate [LaLonders’ indie title that was released in 2022]. It’s a pretty big team, it’s a crazy big team for an indie game. But who is your team?" LaLonders says in the video below.
“ValiDate has a team of mostly people… mostly? All people of color. We have no white people on our team. I did that because I wanted to create a safe environment. And I know the best way for an environment to be safe is to be around people who are just like me.”
LaLonders goes on to say, “I’m not saying that white people in the industry are creating unsafe environments. I’m not saying that – that is not what I’m saying. I am saying that sometimes it is hard to work with white people because they think that something may be okay, but it was really a microaggression. And no one wants to deal with that when they’re trying to make a game they love.”
LaLonders made the admission while discussing ValiDate’s development in a talk called “One Year in the Industry” at the 2021 Game Devs of Color Expo. However, as outlined by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in ‘Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices, “it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person’s race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.”
Despite admitting that there are no white people on their team, LaLonders believes that they have previously faced discrimination in the video games industry due to their race.
In the same Game Devs of Color Expo interview, LaLonders says, “I’m clearly not a white person. I’m clearly not a white man. As a black non-binary woman, a lot of people did not take me seriously when I first joined the industry, which I think is kind of crazy because I’m making a game just like everyone else so why wouldn’t you take me seriously? Is it because I’m black? It probably is.”
Who is Cliffhanger Games?
LaLonders has since become the associate narrative designer of the EA-owned studio, Cliffhanger Games. According to the studio’s X bio, Cliffhanger Games is “A new AAA studio from EA specializing in player-driven narratives and expansive, reactive worlds. Currently developing a game based on Marvel’s Black Panther”.
In a post on EA’s website in July last year titled ‘Meet Cliffhanger Games’, lead Kevin Stephens said:
“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game. Wakanda is a rich Super Hero sandbox, and our mission is to develop an epic world for players who love Black Panther and want to explore the world of Wakanda as much as we do,” said Stephens.
“It’s an incredibly rare opportunity to build a new team around the values of diversity, collaboration, and empowerment,” Stephens went on to say.
The blog post ends by saying “We know the foundation to any great story is to build an experienced team with diverse voices and perspectives and that’s what we want to build, especially with a Super Hero as important as Black Panther.”
Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1966 while at Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the king and protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Two film adaptions have been released which starred the late Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther became the highest-grossing film of the MCU and the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time.
Read our exclusive interview with Sweet Baby Inc. detected creator, Kabrutus
We’ve reached out to both EA and Marvel owner Disney for comment and will update this story should we hear more.