A surprising turn of events in a harassment case involving the Sea of Thieves community has sparked outrage. Victims who reported harassment endured during their own live streams for Sea of Thieves have been punished by the game's developer. As a result, many in community are upset and making their displeasure known. Despite not making much of a splash at launch, Sea of Thieves has continued to grow since its release, gathering a loyal community that prizes interaction with other players as one of the game's biggest strengths.
The case in question refers to a Sea of Thieves streamer by the name of Rocco, which is a puppet on Twitch operated by a gaming couple. Their Sea of Thieves started last year and, according to developer Rare, action was taken against some of the harassers involved. This, however, sparked even more harassment toward the couple, particularly of a misogynistic and ableist nature. The issue has only continued to escalate for all parties involved in recent months.
fellow Sea of Thieves streamers, including Jason Sulli, Carrillo, and Gullible Gambit, have all voluntarily left the same Partner Programme in protest against the developer and in solidarity with Rocco's creators.
There have also been reports that former and current Rare employees have been dissuaded by the company from taking a stance on the issue. The few who have spoken out have reportedly received varying levels of pushback from the developer, including threats of losing their jobs. The whole situation seems to have spun out of Rare's control and by no means appears close to a conclusion.
What makes something like this so frustrating is that there are few measurable facts, with only conflicting reports to go on. One thing is clear, however: the Sea of Thieves streamers behind Rocco dealing with such harassment from standing up for themselves and letting their voices be heard.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz, SayHeyRocco/TwitLonger
