Sexual assault claims against Chris Avellone, a writer and developer whose credits include role-playing games like Fallout New Vegas and Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, as well as Bethesda-published Prey and upcoming shooter System Shock, were charged in 2020 of aggression. by two women. Avellone’s accusers have now issued a joint statement, publicly retracting the allegations originally made against the game developer.
In 2020, two women claimed they were sexually assaulted by Chris Avellone, who also worked as a designer on the role-playing games Fallout 2 and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2. The following year, Avellone sued for defamation against his accusers. . Now Avellone is sharing a joint statement from his accusers and himself.
“Mr. Avellone never sexually abused any of us,” the accusers write. “We don’t know that he sexually abused a woman.
“Not everything we have ever said or written about Mr. Avellone was our intention. We wanted to support women in the industry. In doing so, our words were misinterpreted to suggest specific allegations of misconduct that were unspoken and unintended.
“We are passionate about the safety and agency of women, minorities, LGBTQIA+ people and any other community that has been persecuted in the gaming industry. We believe Mr. Avellone shares a desire to protect and improve these communities. We believe he deserves a full return to the industry and we support him in these efforts.”
The statement explains that the claims against Avellone were “dismissed with prejudice, pursuant to a confidential settlement providing for a seven-figure payout that includes the return of attorney’s fees filed against Mr. Avellone in California.”
Although the statement was posted on Avellone’s own blog, Avellone’s attorneys reportedly sent a copy directly to Forbes: Forbes reporter Erik Kain shares a signed copy of the statement on Blood.
“I appreciate (the accusers’) willingness to work with us to resolve issues within the gaming community, and their advocacy should be commended and supported,” Avellone wrote. “There are still many very real challenges we face, but I am confident we can overcome them together.”
Avellone also calls on “everyone to respect the privacy” of accusers and to “use this opportunity as a way to hear all voices to improve our culture and our communities.”
The most recent game Avellone has been working on, a remake of FPS System Shock, is set to launch in May.