He is also known for his work on Guild Wars. She says that when the conditions of her job went downhill and her relationship with her colleagues atrophied, Soule was “involved in turning things against me.” (The co-founder of Interdimensional Interactive, Gregory MacMartin, denied this, telling Kotaku in a message, “That does not pertain to us. ‘Survivors of abusers deserve to be safe and have a space to share their experiences, so that others don’t fall prey to the same abuser. ‘Predators, and abusers, aren’t just made overnight. Lawhead accused Jeremy Soule, a music composer for common video video games like “The Elder […] Multiple men in the video game industry have been accused of sexual assault and harassment, and it's sparking an industry-wide conversation about abuse – WebsFavourites.Com Brighton says she and Soule developed a professional relationship, and that Soule said he believed in her ability to make it as a vocalist and offered her gigs in a music video and in his Northern Lights symphony. It’s not easy. I idolized this guy. Soule is best known for composing the score of … She does not recant her allegation against Soule. Lawhead said she did not publicize what happened because she was “mortified of what would happen if this exploded and cost me this job. Game developers Jeremy Soule, Alec Holowka, and Luc Shelton have all been accused of sexual assault in the past 48 hours. Brighton said she met Soule in 2014 when she had just moved to Los Angeles in hopes of launching her vocalist career. The reporter for this story, Cecilia D’Anastasio, followed standard journalistic protocol when reporting about sexual violence in being clear about what was and wasn’t for publication. Nathalie Lawhead, a veteran developer best known for making small independent games like Tetrageddon, wrote a lengthy blog post on Monday night accusing Soule of sexual misconduct. Jeremy Soule (/ ˈ s oʊ l /; born December 19, 1975) is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television, and video games.He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen other works during his career, including The Elder Scrolls, Guild Wars, Icewind Dale, and Harry Potter series.. We regret the error.]. It’s almost a personal hazard to step out of line and speak out about cultural conditions’, she says in regards to gaming’s often highly aggressive fans and the Gamergate controversy that began with the harassment of female indie developers such as Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu, and preceded the current alt-right movement. I am also sympathetic to the pain that the presence of the quote has caused Lawhead. He has worked on over 60 game titles. Jeremy Soule. The burden is falling entirely on developers to change this. ‘The best advice I can give is don’t be starstruck, and don’t trust powerful people. He was something of a mentor[. I'm glad she never took him up on it! Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule says Bethesda hasn’t asked him to work on the next Elder Scrolls. Soule appeared romantically interested in Brighton, and at times, Brighton appeared to reciprocate. Speaking up, or confronting toxic culture, has widely known consequences.’, ‘Toxic fandom has always been a problem because games ended up catering to the type of audience that is susceptible to the toxic masculinity rhetoric. Games have a lot of cultural problems, especially in terms of worker rights and inequality. It’s too much of a fact of life in this industry. Candid Conversation with Jeremy Soule -- Guild Wars: Nightfall Vault G4 - The Feed - Jeremy Soule Talks Music And Games With X-Play IGN: Jeremy Soule On The Music Of Guild Wars: Eye of the North Insider: Insider Interview with Composer Jeremy Soule Jeremy Soule Interview & PLAY! How men are helpless and they need sex. Our own review of the reporting process for this article indicates that the quote in question was in fact provided on the record in Lawhead’s initial interview with Kotaku. Soule's soundtracks are often critically acclaimed as being among the best in the computer and video games industry and as rivaling the quality of many orchestral film soundtracks. Soule did not respond to Kotaku’s request for comment about these specifics. It would be easy for them to say that they don’t endorse this toxic behaviour, and act on that. By Sergio Solórzano Jan 10, 2019. 0. ‘I sincerely hope that gamers start to understand these dynamics and start siding with developers more instead of being weaponised to keep the work force in check the way that they are.’. In these conversations, Soule and Brighton both exchanged flirty and sometimes sexually explicit messages. For what it’s worth, I believe them. We are all already on such thin ice, we can’t afford to speak up unless it’s in power of numbers. ‘I knew that I would face sexism and discrimination, I had no idea that it would be this bad’, she says. Most of this has happened to me before, and it’s happened to too many of my friends. Comment. “He said I can be someone in the industry, but I needed to lose weight. In recent years, however, he’s been the subject of controversy. “He acted like he was going to help me. In the blog she also talks about her experience with BAFTA award-winning composer Jeremy Soule, who has worked on high profile games ranging from … ‘Companies benefit from abusing their workforce. Jeremy Soule is the composer of The Elder Scrolls soundtracks for Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and The Elder Scrolls Online. I’ll read, listen, and learn from what everyone is saying. Discover classical music and find out more about the best classical composers, musicians and their works. Toxic fandom will dox, harass, stalk, threaten, and SWAT. Share Share Tweet Email. As Soule’s legal representatives, they are ‘considering all legal remedies, including the filing of a defamation lawsuit’ against Lawhead. ‘Generally speaking, gamers have a lot of issues with women, the presence of women, LGTBQ, people of colour… and anything that looks like “equality”. ‘I still am. In it she detailed her experiences building ARGs (alternate reality games), for which she ended up working so much overtime she was twice hospitalised and yet, according to the email evidence she posted, she was frequently taken advantage of and eventually fired and not paid for much of her work. Lawhead said to Kotaku that Soule continually pushed her boundaries in his attempts to make their relationship physical, despite her saying she only wanted a friendship. The consequence of speaking up shouldn’t be on the survivors either. He flatly denies the first claim that he raped a co-worker at a development studio, while in regards to a new accusation that he sent an inappropriate video to a female developer, he simply said that he disagrees with her viewpoint and is "not at liberty to discuss." . We need to be able to call out this behaviour before it becomes a threat’, she insists. I knew that I would face sexism and discrimination, I had no idea that it would be this bad. He was very threatening, and didn’t listen,” she wrote. It seemed ideal.’. ‘If you take conditions like that, which are very normal, and add the gender and racial discrimination, it’s pretty brutal’, she explains. He was giving me diet tips,” she says. The sad reality is that they benefit from toxic culture and have no interest in really changing this. Jeremy’s only involvement with our studio has been composing some music for our games,” although Lawhead says they were “close friends.”) On Twitter, Lawhead said she decided to come forward after searching Soule’s name and “seeing person after person gushing over his music.”, A second woman, vocalist Aeralie Brighton, who is credited on games like Minecraft, Ori and the Blind Forest and LawBreakers, wrote a post on Facebook Monday night saying that she had “personally fallen prey to Jeremy Soule as well back in 2014.” She said Soule sent her a video of him masturbating and that when she told him she “only wanted a professional relationship I was blocked and removed from a project I was proposed to work on.” She said that nothing physical had happened. In the blog she also talks about her experience with BAFTA award-winning composer Jeremy Soule, who has worked on high profile games ranging from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. Born in Iowa, Soule took an interest in composing symphonic music at age five, began piano lessons, and learned writing and arranging through years of private study. In the blog she alleges she was raped by him, with her story inspiring other women from across the industry to talk about their own negative experiences. I am shocked and saddened that these outrageous claims have been made.”. Soon, they started seeing each other more often on the weekends, she wrote. He talked about how performing music is very sexual. Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule announced on Twitter that modders and streamers can use his latest album at no cost, as long as they credit him. It takes years of boundary pushing and unchecked ego to get to a point where someone gets irreparably hurt. ‘Where we fail is in how abusive behaviour is excused and even rewarded’, says Lawhead. No details from the off-the-record fact-checking call were used in the article. He made it clear that it’s ‘him or bust.’ He raped me. Jeremy Soule is one of the most celebrated game soundtrack composers of all time, having helmed the soundtracks for The Elder Scrolls, Guild Wars, Stars Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and dozens of other games over the past two decades. It’s on the culture to prevent people from turning into abusers. In the wake of these accusations, several other women in the games industry have come forward this week with their own allegations against people who they say abused them in some capacity. I believe you. ]” [Note - 12/23/20: Due to an editing mistake, the preceding quote was originally presented as spoken, but is actually from Lawhead’s blog post. These soundtracks have all been the work of composer Jeremy Soule; also well known for his work on the Guild Wars and Neverwinter Nights franchises, among many others. Making video games for a living sounds like it would be a dream job but for many it’s frequently a nightmare. Which is sad. On Monday afternoon Nathalie Lawhead, developer of the IGF-winning Tetrageddon Games, wrote a post on her website alleging that Jeremy Soule, the composer of Skyrim, raped her while she was working for an unnamed Vancouver-based games studio. How he needs sex, and a relationship, so he can write his music. Without any friends in Vancouver, and “afraid of consequences because of my visa situation,” Lawhead said she did not go to the police and immediately went back to work. Overview. The only thing protecting us right now is the stories we share over Twitter, and the private messages we share when we see someone working with someone that is dangerous.’, ‘This is dangerous because these conversations need to take place in the open. The crunch, burnout, and how people are professionally used, is a big problem. Just a few years ago the normal reaction to me being shamefully fired and refused payment would have been “that’s just the way it is” (not counting the other abuse).’, ‘To me, the events of the last few days show that we really don’t even have a way of holding abuse accountable and making a space for rehabilitation’, she adds. My goodness—this is the Skyrim composer and it shaped my early gaming days!”. ‘The unfortunate reality is that publishers, and larger platforms like Steam, aren’t doing anything to really change this. The work he composed for video games is based on this. Get discounts on vibrators, rings, and cutting-edge sex tech now through the end of the week. Long hours of unpaid overtime are commonplace, as are short-term contracts that can be cancelled at a moment’s notice – and which are often poorly paid and don’t even guarantee you a mention in the credits. ‘Keep politics out of games’, is a common refrain amongst a certain subset of gamers, which is frequently interpreted as not changing the current bias towards white heterosexual men as the focus of a game’s story and marketing. I was in awe he was paying attention to me.” Once, she says, Soule invited her to his apartment late at night to test microphones. Alec Holowka. Jeremy Soule, arguably the most famous music composer for games, has been publicly accused of rape yesterday.The accusation comes from Nathalie Lawhead, a … They said they felt like Soule took advantage of them, offering advice and professional support. “I looked up to him. The space that is actively discussing that and doing something about it is the indie games space’. I’m hopeful about that. ‘This is very upsetting. “He made it clear that he had the power to make or break people’s careers,” said Brighton, “so I was like, ‘Well shit, I’m never gonna work again.’”. One of the most iconic aspects of the Elder Scrolls series since the halcyon days of Morrowind has been the games’ music. Editor’s Note - 1/20/20: Last week, Nathalie Lawhead contacted us to say that a four-sentence quote from her in the article describing events from the evening of her alleged assault was fueling harassment against her and were inaccurate. He made advances on me and I explained that I didn’t want this and wanted a friendship. She asked about my tweet about Jeremy Soule, and said that he was in touch with her and suggested meeting up, visiting her in Scotland (she refused). It felt like a fairy tale,” Brighton told Kotaku in a phone interview on Tuesday. We need to create a space where confrontation and safe rehabilitation is possible.’. While the problems are often magnified in the games industry, Lawhead is quick to point out that ultimately the problems are societal. This should be normal.’, The best advice I can give is don’t be starstruck, and don’t trust powerful people. ‘Games have an added problem of toxic fanbases that will regularly attack developers if these fanbases consider what a developer said as out-of-line or rude. It's a … With the lack of worker rights, it can make working here hazardous.’, ‘I was expecting to be completely ruined for it’, she says of posting her blog. Lawhead said Soule began exhibiting behavior that startled and upset her early in their friendship. However, she said, after accepting his invitation to do vocal work in his recording studio after hours one night, “I wasn’t liking what I was seeing.” She added: “He was bashing other vocalists and talking about how everyone wants to sleep with him. Jeremy Soule, best known for being a Composer, was born in Keokuk, Iowa, USA on Friday, December 19, 1975. Thanks to her blog that change may now come sooner than might have been expected, but for now Lawhead is content to concentrate on her indie work, making interactive entertainment that is a world away from the bigger blockbusters of the games industry. “He made it clear that it’s ‘him or bust.’ He raped me.”, Soule denied Lawhead’s allegations Tuesday in a text message to Kotaku: “These 11 year old allegations are false. Twitter. Although many may think of it only in connection with Hollywood, the #MeToo movement has touched every element of society and industry, even video games. Nathalie Lawhead, the indie dev behind Tetrageddon Games, says she was raped by Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule while working on a hellish ARG project. ‘There are amazing things happening on the outskirts of the game industry. Jeremy Soule (b. December 19, 1975) is an award-winning American composer from Keokuk, Iowa and a prolific composer of orchestral videogame scores. Why was it allowed to fester and turn into something dangerous? The promise was that, if this works out, I would get more work and possibly a permanent position. ‘The only way that the culture can change is if we speak up.’. Bio. Both women described Soule pressuring them into romantic relationships while they were in vulnerable positions professionally, socially, and financially in their respective fields. But it’s usually even worse if you’re a woman. After that, Brighton says, she realized that she wanted nothing to do with him. She has described her reporting for this story in a lengthy post on Twitter. A lot of work has been done over the years to expand the scope of ‘who games are for’ and what a gamer is. It's a tricky situation for fan creators right now, particularly in the video game realm. Kotaku is dedicated to investigating any allegations against powerful people or companies in the world of video games and can be contacted securely and confidentially here or via SecureDrop here. The Elder Scrolls VI soundtrack will not be bringing Jeremy Soule back as the composer, despite his work on Morrowind, Skyrim, and Oblivion. Wow, so I just got a private message on Twitter from a fan of mine (I don't mean that to sound pretentious) in Scotland. ‘The fault isn’t on the survivors for speaking up. Lewis: Beyond Narnia (2005) and Dracula's Stoker (2009). It’s so unsustainable that most of the people you will meet, when going to GDC [Game Developers Conference], are in their 20s to 30s because people can’t really stay here long.’. He was born in 1975 in Keokuk, Iowa. Two women, an independent game developer and a vocalist, on Monday night accused famed video game composer Jeremy Soule, best known for his musical work on games like Guild Wars and Skyrim, of sexually predatory behavior and, according to the game developer, rape. Which is sad.’, Despite this, Lawhead is relatively optimistic about the future: ‘I’ve noticed a lot of positive changes these last few years. Video game composer Jeremy Soule, who worked on The Elder Scrolls series, Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, has been accused of rape. Either way, it at least gives outcasts and burnouts a chance.’. What he does to women, is what inspires his music. D’Anastasio, as always, strove to be fair, understanding and transparent. He is best known for his work in the Elder Scrolls and Guild Wars games and providing the soundtrack for many successful CRPGs in the early 2000s. Although Lawhead has not been involved in big budget console style video games, her skill at creating ARGs did bring her into contact with some of the same creatives, including Soule. The problem of gaming fandom is compounded by the apparent lack of effort most video game companies make in countering the more aggressive elements. The fact that my blog post even got noticed is a positive change. Legendary composer Jeremy Soule has finally weighed in on his numerous sexual assault accusations. Allegations of abuse have been made against multiple games industry figures in the past 24 hours. I can only guess the harassment these women will receive in the coming days for coming forward. On August 26th, game developer Nathalie Lawhead published a blog post accusing legendary Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule of rape. ‘My own work is extremely experimental and I found kind of a sweet spot of being able to make everything on my own, and not need any help, because of how I was shamed and banished,’ says Lawhead. ‘I’ve gotten so many comments now from people that worked with Soule talking about how they are not surprised and that nobody liked working with him because he is so difficult. Yet when these women turned down his romantic advances, they told Kotaku, Soule thwarted their professional opportunities in what the women saw as retaliation. She says the assault occurred one day in 2009. That’s not how things turned out though and after enduring years of poor management, unpaid bills, and unrecognised overtime, Lawhead was unceremoniously fired. If you knew what kind of person he is, why was that behaviour never confronted? Transcripts of text conversations between Soule and Brighton that Brighton shared with Kotaku paint a complicated picture of their relationship. I think if we unionised it would change a lot of this dynamic.’, Asked what advice she would give to other woman, or any developer in a similar situation, Lawhead emphasises the importance of talking to other people about the problem.