Yooka Laylee Update Will Remove YouTuber JonTron

Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games has announced that an upcoming content update for the game will remove YouTuber Jon “JonTron” Jafari, who made headlines recently for his comments on immigration and other topics.

In a statement to Games Industry, Playtonic explained that they were made aware of JonTron’s personal comments following the completion of Yooka-Laylee, and made the decision to remove him:

We recently became aware of comments made by voice artist JonTron after development on Yooka-Laylee had been completed.

JonTron is a talented video presenter who we were initially, two years ago, happy to include as a voice contributor in our game. 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.

Shortly after Playtonic’s decision was made public, JonTron wrote on Twitter, “Unfortunate to see Playtonic remove me from Yooka-Laylee, but I understand their decision. I wish them the best with their launch!”

JonTron’s inclusion in Yooka-Laylee stemmed from a Twitter exchange back in February 2015, where Playtonic offered him a role in the game:

@JonTronShow @grantkirkhope thanks for the call out! You should voice a character for us!

— Playtonic (@PlaytonicGames) February 16, 2015

@JonTronShow @grantkirkhope get practising your gobbledygook BK style! A microphone with googly eyes on will be coming your way!

— Playtonic (@PlaytonicGames) February 16, 2015