Heartopia developer XD Inc. has removed a sequence from its lifestyle sim after fans highlighted the racist depiction of a Black NPC.
The scenario in question showed the character of Kapil unknowingly eating a poisonous mushroom and then proceeding to imitate a monkey. Many fans pointed out how racist this was, and the developer has now removed this scene from the quest it was in, and has apologised for its inclusion.
This scene was brought to wider attention on social media, with fans campaigning to bring this to XD Inc.'s attention. Their efforts paid off, with the devs acknowledging the issue in the Discord server and announcing that it has been removed from the game entirely.
"It has come to our attention that certain players have raised concerns and criticisms regarding the conduct of Kapil, an in-game non-player character (NPC), following an incident in which he inadvertently consumed a poison mushroom in Heartopia," reads the statement. "The initial intent behind Kapil's reaction was to accurately depict the symptoms of dizziness and loss of bodily control resulting from poisoning. We have since promptly removed this action. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have felt offended.
"We appreciate the...
