Sweet Baby Inc., the recently controversial narrative consultancy,has removedSquare Enixfrom its client list.
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Launched in 2018, theconsultancy aims to tell “empathetic stories” while “enriching the video game industry.“It has worked with major developers and publishers such asUbisoft,Rocksteady,Santa Monica Studio, and now ex-client, Square Enix.
Neither Sweet Baby Inc. norSquare Enixhas commented on this change, and it’sunclear who was behind the apparent falling out.
Rumors and hearsay have circulated about the two companies' relationship since June. Popular gaming blogger and X user, @michsuzu, reported that, during an investor meeting,Square Enix was asked about its dealings with Sweet Baby Inc.
As translated from Japanese, they claimed thatCEO Takashi Kiryu didn’t directly comment on the consultancy, onlysaying “I would like to refrain from making specific comments about individual clients.”
Providing content that is enjoyable and safe for our customers is also part of what makes a product fun. We will do our best as creators.
- Allegedly, Takashi Kiryu
Unfortunately, this information is unverifiable.While Michsuzu has a large following, no other sources corroborate his story— save for a few fringe sites.
Square Enix hasn’t commented on these rumors either.
Sweet Baby Inc’s Controversy
Anyone vaguely following the gaming industry’s state this past year knows about theSweet Baby Inc. controversy.
The company says it “leads with the creation of joy in marginalized players, and seeks to be additive rather than strictly corrective,” butmany gamers have alleged that they’re inserting unwanted politics instead.
Games may have begun, and certainly still are, entertainment, but they’ve alsobecome powerful ways to convey cultural, societal andpolitical messaging. For better or worse, this is reality. While you have yourDooms, where you can spend hours cracking demon skulls, you also have yourSpec Ops: The Lines.
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Proponents of the consultancy sayit’s only trying to shed light on marginalized people and their stories. Detractors haveargued that its messaging has alienated many gamers, taken away from narratives, and token representation instead of genuine inclusion, bringing about financial and critical failure.
It’d be unfair to levy the failure ofGotham KnightsorSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguesolely on their narrative consultancy, it might have played a part nonetheless. In the latter’s case, it was reported that it directlycost Warner Bros hundreds of millions in losses.
Entire Steam lists have been made to warn of Sweet Baby Inc.’s involvement in a game’s development. Some have been removed, but others persist.
A Sweet Baby Inc employee reportedlyasked their followers to mass report the lists.
As more Sweet Baby Inc. games bombed,this controversy grew and attracted some unsavory types.
What started as genuine creative disagreements has ballooned and brought along those who assume including a single POC character means a game has fallen to “woke” status;or that, somehow,Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy andControl’s Jesse Faden, weren’t attractive.
With its reputation as shaky as it is, andallegedly the first domino falling, Sweet Baby Inc’s future is unclear.Ultimately, people are free to vote with their wallets, despite what anonymous online posters say;no company stays afloat without customers, after all.
