Last year, video game writer Chris Avellone was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, leading to Dying Light 2 developer Techland severing ties with him. After a year of silence, Avellone has now commented on the matter, stating that he is taking legal action against his accusers, who he says made the accusations because of "the bad split [he] had with their friend Jackie."
In a series of tweets and a Medium post, Avellone detailed his relationship with three of the women involved in the sexual misconduct allegations – Karissa, Kelly, and Jackie. Avellone goes on to discuss the events surrounding the accusations, maintaining that he had engaged in a physical relationship with Karissa and Jackie, but that those relationships were consensual. Avellone also states that he has no recollection of ever even having a conversation with Kelly.
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Avellone has spent the last year gathering "receipts, facts, correspondence, pictures, and witness testimony," only a small portion of which has been presented thus far, he says. Avellone goes on to state that the allegations were made due to the women being upset about his breakup with Jackie years ago, stating that they wanted "justice" for Jackie. Avellone further states that Karissa had wanted him to break up with Jackie.
In a series of tweets written in conjunction with the blog post, Avellone stated that he wanted to allow voices to be heard, but went on to say "in keeping silent, I was wrong." Avellone believes that Karissa's allegations were triggered by an IGN interview he did, which he says IGN cut his female lead out of at the time – a move he says he was "disgusted" by.
Avellone filed a "formal response" last week with the testimony and evidence that he's acquired over the last year. Other women have come forward with allegations against Avellone, but Avellone stated that he must first address Karissa's accusations, which he says will paint other claims in a different light. One woman, Christy Dena, claimed to have shared a night with Avellone, though Avellone states he was on a different continent at the time.
Avellone concluded by stating that the claims against him were malicious in nature, and that he believes they must be challenged. Stories of sexual harassment and assault are not uncommon in the games industry, though this is a particularly high profile case due to Avellone's past work, which includes the likes of Fallout New Vegas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2.
Source: Medium, Chris Avellone