The Elder Scrolls Online community has been abuzz this weekend over an incident that rocked the game’s streaming crew. According to streamer Inklings, who posted about it this morning, a partnered streamer was alleged to have doxxed multiple people (including a minor), leaking real names, employers, social media, characters, and more, spreading this information among other streamers in a Google doc until a developer stepped in to pull it down. A bit of digging made it clear that the document had been created and initially posted privately by streamer Kyle Dempster.
We reached out to ZeniMax and Bethsoft this morning for a statement; a few hours later, the team tweeted confirmation about the doxx attempt as well as the news that it had “removed an individual from the ESO Stream Team” for a “serious violation” of the game’s code of conduct.
— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) June 27, 2020
Dempster initially said on Twitter that he was resigning from the streaming group because ZeniMax was “failing to take action” against the people he says were harassing him. A second statement made this afternoon acknowledged that he put the document together, saying that it was a compilation of information about the “trolls” he says were harassing him and sending him death threats; he claims he created the document to share with the studio and the police but that he was asked to post it for the group. He then alleges that someone in the group – either a fellow streamer or ZeniMax employee – leaked it to the broader community. Here’s the entirety of his Twitter statement:
“Hi everyone, a quick update regarding Twitter today: I used the early part of the day researching who may have breached ZOS NDA to release the names and other information floating around Twitter regarding the alleged doxxing. I am 100% against disclosing this kind of information to the public, and me sharing with the ESO team was in confidence at the request of a member. It is unacceptable that an ESO stream team partner or ZOS employee shared that kind of information outside of that server. The information in the document was aggregated from the trolls public accounts they used to harass me and send death threats. This information that leaked was provided to ZOS and the SLC PD. It was not sent to any private individuals. We took the action of deleting the document as soon as we learned someone had leaked it. I am so sorry that a member of that team broke confidence and made that information public. No one deserves that kind of treatment, and the information they shared could have been very dangerous. If you know or have any leads regarding who shared this information on Twitter, please let me know. The police would very much like to get a hold of that person. At this time, we are working to determine the party in question. Please at this time do not conduct further witch hunts against any employee or community member. If you have a lead on this, please reach out to me privately. I am again so sorry to anyone involved.”
A bit of sleuthing reveals that Dempster had been heavily criticized by members of the community for an allegedly sexually inappropriate comment he made toward another player earlier this month; the list of personal information presumably belonged to those critics. In any case, it appears that ZeniMax has weighed in and put an end to the scuffle, to the cheers of ESO players on Twitter.
This particular spectacle comes just as Twitch is undergoing a major crackdown on problematic streamers – the biggest among them being Dr Disrespect.
MOP’s Ben Griggs contributed to this report.
