It would appear that ranting and raving on Twitter isn’t just a means of self-expression or an outlet to vent. It can actually have costly real-world consequences.
Code Avarice’s Mike Maulbeck’s Steam comments landed him in a bit of hot water recently (no pun intended…although that pun was awesome), when he said he wanted to quote “… kill Gabe Newell.” This came as a result of Paranautical Activity mistakenly being posted under Steam’s early-access status (which angered the developer to Hulk-Smash levels). After Steam decided to cut all ties with Maulbeck and his company at that point, Maulbeck decided to sell off his share of Code Avarice and bow-out.
In his official statement, Maulbeck acknowledges the harm he caused to his project, his company and his fellow team members. “As a result of my actions…I feel is it my responsibility to step down from Code Avarice completely so that Steam has no reason to harbor any more ill-will towards the company, and maybe even if we can’t see Paranautical Activity restored, at least future Code Avarice games may be allowed onto the platform. I’m really, deeply sorry that my short sighted, hot-tempered actions resulted in not only my own dreams and aspirations being destroyed, but those of the entire team I worked with…My temper and tendency to use twitter to vent has been a consistent problem since I entered the games industry, and I just can’t do it. I don’t have the willpower necessary to be the ‘face’ of a company.” The former co-owner sadly reveals.
It is unclear if this is the last we’ll ever see of Maulbeck, or if Code Avarice and its game will be allowed to return to Steam at some point.