Korean Gaming Company Fires A Female Designer Due To Accusations Of Being A Feminist

It all started when a South Korean game, Limbus Company, released a new summer gacha (special) event for their game. In the event, characters get renewals in terms of characteristics and outfit. In particular, a character named Ishmael came under fire. Male fans of the game claimed that Ishmael’s outfit was not as sexy as they were used to. In summer gacha events, female characters are usually dressed in skimpy designs such as bikinis. In Ishmael’s case, she was dressed in a wetsuit instead.

Here is where the situation gets complicated. It was claimed online that while the male fans initially planned on protesting the designer, they later realized that Ishmael was worked on by a male designer. Later, they found another female designer who was working on the game story and accused her of having ties to extreme feminist groups in South Korea. This led to more accusations that the game imagery created by her contained feminist symbols and elements.

In response to the accusations, Limbus Company’s developer, Project Moon, released an official statement, announcing that they had fired the female designer.

현재까지 파악된 게임 내 이슈에 대하여 저희의 공식 의견을 말씀드리고자 합니다. – 1 pic.twitter.com/v5jhUO7i2X

— Limbus Company (@LimbusCompany_B) July 25, 2023

Limbus Company stated that one of the main contractual rules they reinforced to their employees was to prevent controversial opinions from being reflected in their personal social media accounts. Fans of the game discovered the female designer had retweeted a tweet five years ago. The retweet supported the cause to stop illegal filming in South Korea. As many know, illegal filming is a huge problem in South Korea. Illegal cameras were found in public bathrooms, motels, and more.

The call to stop illegal filming was highly associated with feminism in South Korea, and hence, the female designer of Limbus Company was fired for breaching the contractual rule mentioned above.

The matter is currently attracting high attention both domestically, and globally. Netizens are angered about the unfair situation.

그니까 림버스 컴퍼니 회사는…

<논란된 일러를 그리지도 않은 다른 직원이 몇년전에 불법촬영에 반대하는 글에 동의한걸 두고 사회적 논란이 있을 수 있다는 이유로 해고한>

회사…인건가요?

그 회사는 그러면…불법촬영에 찬성을…하나요?

불법…촬영인데도?
불법…인데요? pic.twitter.com/fSVQQugQaS

— 멍 (@cheong97893) July 25, 2023

So you’re saying that Limbus Company’s developer fired someone who wasn’t even involved in the controversial design (Ishmael) for the reason that they agreed with a post that protests illegal filming, and that it could create societal controversy?

The company…?

So does that mean that the company… supports illegal filming?

Illegal filming?

But…it’s illegal?

— cheong97839

그니까 이게 맞다고?

여캐벗은일러가 없어서 페미의심 가챠일러레를 욕함 가챠일러레가 남자 어라 얘가 문제가 아닌가봐 스토리 일러레가 여자네? 개인 sns를 뒤짐 4년전에 썼다 삭제되어있던 불법촬영반대글을 찾음 사상이 불온하다고 해고를 요구함 해고당함(n시간걸림) https://t.co/qJEpTrb4DT

— 먼지ㅣ장화챙기자 (@_s_hlove) July 25, 2023

So you’re saying that this is right?

1. People suspected feminism because there’s no character dressed skimpily.
2. People cursed out the illustrator of the gacha summer event.
3. They found out he was male.
4. Huh, guess he can’t be problematic then.
5. Oh, the story illustrator is female?
6. Digs through her personal social media.
7. Finds a post from 4 years ago that was deleted, about being against illegal filming.
8. Asks for her to be fired as they find it goes against their ideology.
9. She actually gets fired. (Took n hours)

— _s_hlove

The matter blew up so much that 15 out of 20 trending topics on Twitter in Korea were related to the matter. Despite online communities furious about the matter, Limbus Company has yet to respond.