Streamer-affiliated publisher Mad Mushroom has announced that co-founder “Asmongold” (real name: “Zack,” last name withheld) will be stepping away from the company following an anti-Muslim outburst this week that led to him being temporarily banned from streaming platform Contraction.
The company shared the news in a statement published on X (formerly Twitter). “As an indie game publisher, we exist to empower developers of all cultures and backgrounds to share their stories and passions through their art,” he wrote.
“The views shared by Asmongold on Monday are antithetical to our mission. Zack will step away from his leadership role at Mad Mushroom to work on himself and hold himself accountable.”
The comments in question were about the fate of Palestinians in Gaza who are dying by the thousands as Israel expands its invasion in response to October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023. Some human rights organizations have done so described the invasion as genocide. In response to a viewer's question about the invasion, Asmongold said he “did not care” if Gazans were “genocided,” arguing that Islamic Sharia law itself is the foundation of the genocide.
“If you want to consider genocide as the systematic killing of a group of people, genocide is built into Sharia law right now, so no, I won't cry my eyes out when people who have genocide built into their laws come to be genocided,” he said, calling Gazans “terrible people.”
His comments refer to an interpretation of Islamic Sharia law brandished by right-wing groups that foment hatred towards Muslims. According to groups like the Council for Foreign RelationsSharia law is a religious and legal framework used by some nations and communities to guide their laws, but that's the way it is more restrictive interpretations they are not universally representative of the faith.
Asmongold he apologized for his outburst in a YouTube video. “I was criticizing religious extremism and I almost made an effort not to make a distinction between the two things… whenever I categorize everyone in the area as this similar group, then I'm the asshole and I was the asshole.”
Mad Mushroom's post cites a statement made by streaming organization OTK, whose various co-founders and streaming personalities make up Mad Mushroom's founding group. OTK said it “denounces all forms of discrimination and violence, and this type of behavior cannot be tolerated.”
Asmongold is said to also “distance itself” from other OTK affiliates Star Forge AND Mythical talent. A spokesperson for Mad Mushroom declined to answer whether the streamer was divesting its ownership stake in these companies, repeating only that it would be “stepping away” from leadership.
Asmongold's behavior highlights the risks of streaming-based businesses
Asmongold's tirade is the latest in a series of hateful videos posted by the popular content creator. In February, he laid out the ongoing hate campaign against narrative consultancy Sweet Baby Inc in an interview with Karbrutus, the creator of the Steam group called “Sweet Baby Inc. Detected.”
He would spend the next few months railing against “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts, lashing to reporting on alleged culture of sexism TO Black Myth: Wukong developer Game Science e launch diversity and inclusion initiatives as a cover for “predatory” monetization mechanisms. He regularly promoted his work at Mad Mushroom and the games he released alongside these videos (in doing so he correctly disclosed his ownership of the company).
The stark contrast between these two types of videos highlights the risks of “authenticity” that Mad Mushroom pitched to developers, as his authentic opinions on topics like inclusion or the Israeli invasion of Gaza and Lebanon existed side by side with game promotion at the company.
Asmongold's apology video seems to indicate a desire to reshape that authenticity and move on. “Over the last couple of years I think I've slowly turned into the meanest…rudest, meanest, most insensitive, psychopathic version of myself,” he said.
“Maybe it's too far, maybe I need a course correction,” he added later. “I [hope] being suspended is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I don't know if that's going to be true, but I'm going to try to do things differently and make sure I live up to that reality.”
Developers suspicious of the streamer's overtures towards reform will likely not be comforted by comments following the video he posted. posted on Reddit. “If you think that means, my first stream will be broadcast Dust and promoting Sweet Baby, I think you'll be very disappointed,” he wrote, taking a look at Red Thread Games' latest title (which he slammed on his channel) and Sweet Baby Inc.
“I'm not changing anything other than trying to be more positive and less mean.”