The indie MMO Project Gorgon is facing a significant community backlash following a series of controversial actions by a senior administrator. The situation has escalated to the point of a review bomb on Steam, with players citing heavy-handed moderation and a dismissive attitude from the development team.
The controversy began on April 16th when a player known as Dr. Pepper raised concerns in the game's global chat about declining server populations. Dr. Pepper noted that the Mirror Vera server had dropped from over 500 concurrent players to roughly 150 during peak hours, questioning the development team's plan to address the issue.
In response, administrator Jackencola reportedly told the player to "go play another game" if they were unhappy, specifically suggesting Ashes of Creation, a title that has not yet been released (and rather controversial on that matter). This exchange was screenshotted and shared on the MMO RPG subreddit under a "Buyer Beware" post, quickly gaining traction.
Subsequent reports from players indicate that Jackencola issued permanent bans and chat gags to those who continued to discuss the matter. One player with over 2,000 hours of playtime reported being banned for a week after roasting the admin during a dungeon run. The player's review on Steam states: "I roasted the former admin 'Jackencola' in a 40 man dungeon run and they banned me instantly for a week LMAO, you can't make this stuff up."
Further allegations suggest that the official Project Gorgon Discord server censors mentions of Jackencola, and that other community servers have begun to ostracize the server that led to the admin's role change. The situation has created a rift within the player base, with long-time players reportedly defending the admin in what critics describe as an "echo chamber" of cronyism.
The review bomb has resulted in a recent influx of negative reviews on Steam, with players citing poor community management and a lack of developer accountability. The incident highlights the challenges faced by small indie MMOs in maintaining healthy community dynamics, especially when a single administrator holds significant power over player communication.
As of now, the development team at Elder Games has not issued an official statement regarding the bans or the review bomb. The future of the game's community remains uncertain as players await a response.
