Controversial Night in the Woods Developer Alec Holowka Died

Last week was a pretty crazy one for the gaming world, and unfortunately, it had to cap off with tragedy.

After Jeremy Soules was ousted as a sexual predator and Chucklefish was called out for abusing workers, another controversial name in the gaming world came to light: Alec Holowka. Alec Holowka has been making the rounds on social media, as many people who worked with him to create the critically acclaimed Night in the Woods accused him of being abusive, both emotionally and sexually, controlling, and generally being impossible to work with professionally.

Now, it appears, he’s dead, as revealed by his sister, Eileen Holowka, on Twitter on Saturday. She has since made her account private.
 

“Alec Holowka, my brother and best friend, passed away this morning. Those who know me well know that I believe survivors and I have always done everything I can to support survivors, those suffering from mental illnesses, and those with chronic illnesses. Alec was a victim of abuse and he also spent a lifetime battling mood and personality disorders. I will not pretend that he was not also responsible for causing harm, but deep down he was a person who wanted only to offer people care and kindness. It took him a while to figure out how.”

She mentioned as well that he spent his final days going to crisis services and trying to become a “new person” with a “better live”. She also urged people not to blame his accusers (which includes the controversial Zoe Quinn) for anything that may have happened, and asks them not to “use our grief as an excuse to harass people.”

It is currently understood that he has killed himself.

It seems that her urging might not have been enough. Following this news, Zoe Quinn erased her Twitter account (and people on Reddit certainly got a kick out of that, of course), while developer Scott Benson and his wife Bethany Hockenberry offered some words on Twitter in response, although they don’t mention the event specifically.
 

Thousands of people have connected with Night In The Woods in a very personal way. We can’t tell you how to feel about any of this. Whatever you’re feeling is valid. Your experience with art is yours. What it means to you is yours, regardless of anything else.

 
One thing is for sure, though: this isn’t the end of things by a long shot. The drama that this will stir up will probably remain strong for a good, long while.

So brace yourselves.