JonTron dumped from Yooka-Laylee amid racial controversy

YouTube content creator Jon ‘JonTron’ Jafari is having a bad week within a bad month after he publicly made some extreme comments about race online that has had a negative snowball effect for the internet comedian. After his harsh views were revealed, everyone was quick to separate themselves from his brand and his ideals with Playtonic being the latest to do so. JonTron will no longer be present in the nostalgia filled title, Yooka-Laylee, when it releases in April.

JonTron was featured in the old school 3D platformer as a voice actor and as a character, but after the entertainer took to Twitter with his unpopular views on immigration, Playtonic have decided to remove him altogether.

Wow, how scandalous, Steve King doesn’t want his country invaded by people who have contempt for his culture and people! NAZI!!!

— Jon Jafari (@JonTronShow) March 12, 2017

“We recently became aware of comments made by voice artist JonTron after development on Yooka-Laylee had been completed”, developer Playtonic told GamesIndustry.biz.

“JonTron is a talented video presenter who we were initially, two years ago, happy to include as a voice contributor in our game”, they said. “However, in light of his recent personal viewpoints we have made the decision to remove JonTron’s inclusion in the game via a forthcoming content update.”

“We would like to make absolutely clear that we do not endorse or support JonTron’s personal viewpoints and that, as an external fan contributor, he does not represent Playtonic in any capacity.” “Playtonic is a studio that celebrates diversity in all forms and strives to make games that everyone can enjoy. As such, we deeply regret any implied association that could make players feel anything but 100% comfortable in our game worlds, or distract from the incredible goodwill and love shown by our fans and Kickstarter backers.”

It’s nice to know that there are still consequences for voicing backwards and cruel thoughts on the internet these days, a reminder that being professional still applies to your online activity. Playtonic have made the right decision in separating themselves from what is a toxic and negative story revolving around Jon Jafari.

Yooka-Laylee releases world wide on Tuesday the 11th of April for Linux, Mac OS, PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It will be available on the Nintendo Switch at a later date this year.