Yooka-Laylee Removes JonTron's Voice Acting from the Game

YouTubers are making quite the mess of things as of late, huh?

If you haven’t heard, popular YouTuber JonTron found himself in a spot of hot water when he let it slip—and then later tried to defend—that he’s got an… unconventional opinion on immigration and race in the United States. And while he never outright claims white supremacy, the sources he quotes and the figures he admired most certainly do. So now that the popular comedian and gamer has exposed himself as something of a bigot, his fans are divided, and many are expressing both disappointment and disgust in his opinion. Now, every man is entitled to his opinion, of course, but no one is exempt from the consequences of that opinion, and while we have no idea if JonTron has lost any subscribers from this adventure, we know he’s lost something else: his role in the upcoming N64-platformer revival, Yooka-Laylee, where he had contributed as a voice acting.

In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz, developer Playtonic had this to say:

"JonTron is a talented video presenter who we were initially, two years ago, happy to include as a voice contributor in our game. However, in light of his recent personal viewpoints we have made the decision to remove JonTron's inclusion in the game via a forthcoming content update. We would like to make absolutely clear that we do not endorse or support JonTron's personal viewpoints and that, as an external fan contributor, he does not represent Playtonic in any capacity. Playtonic is a studio that celebrates diversity in all forms and strives to make games that everyone can enjoy. As such, we deeply regret any implied association that could make players feel anything but 100% comfortable in our game worlds, or distract from the incredible goodwill and love shown by our fans and Kickstarter backers."

It's not the end of the world by any means, and JonTron isn’t exactly famous for his voice work, but it’s still a slap in the face, and in my opinion, a well-deserved one. After PewDiePie’s little adventure, I’ve got a hunger for just desserts, and this is a cathartic little treat.

For what it's worth, JonTron took the news with good grace, responding via Twitter, saying:

"Unfortunate to see Playtonic remove me from Yooka Laylee, but I understand their decision. I wish them the best with their launch!"

Credit where credit's due: he's being mature about all this. At least he's not throwing a fit, unlike certain other YouTubers...