Huge adjustments are coming to Future 2 this 12 months and a few of them leaked earlier within the month. Bungie now thinks it is aware of who’s accountable and has taken motion, banning common Twitch streamer Ekuegan Teko-Agbo from the sport he performs to make a residing. The content material creator says he’s harmless, nonetheless, and nobody’s fairly certain what to make of your complete episode.
Occasionally Bungie holds a secret assembly with star gamers and content material creators from the Future 2 neighborhood to preview upcoming adjustments and get suggestions on the standing of the sport and its future. These summits are invite-only and closely NDA’d, however that didn’t cease obvious screenshots of a PowerPoint presentation from the newest one from being leaked on Discord on April 5 by a consumer referred to as Freezing Dart. The slideshow seemingly revealed upcoming content material, weapons, and gameplay adjustments. Per week later, Bungie took the unprecedented step of publicly acknowledging the leak.
“Neighborhood interplay and engagement is central to Bungie and our video games,” it tweeted on April 14. “For years, we’ve invited creators and different members of the neighborhood to confidential summits to supply suggestions on the way forward for Future. It is a beloved a part of the method, however depends closely on belief.”
The studio went on:
Breaches of this belief may lead to our lack of ability to carry extra summits. We take these breaches extraordinarily severely and are taking actions to strengthen our insurance policies with these invited to those inside conferences.
It didn’t point out Ekuegan by identify, however the streamer later confirmed Bungie had settled on him because the supply of the leak in an interview with Forbes’ Paul Tassi. The veteran participant famend locally for his ability and achievements within the sport stated he would now not play it following the ban and proceeded to delete some VODs of previous Future 2 streams. Nonetheless, he says he’s harmless and has no data of the leak, regardless of nearly attending the summit in query.
What seems to have Ekuegan fingered because the leaker are desktop icons within the leaked pc screenshots that match his personal. He instructed Tassi that was the reason Bungie gave him, and he even instructed he might have been framed. “I’m in so many NDAs [at the moment], why would I breach any? It’s a part of the job,” Ekuegan instructed Tassi. “I spent 14,000 hours on this sport, a number of hours serving to folks in Grandmasters.”
One chance is that the leaks had been expertly photoshopped to incriminate Ekuegan regardless of coming from another person. One other chance is that another person used his pc to supply the leak. That’s Tassi’s principle, and it will sq. folks’s notion of Ekuegan as an sincere and devoted determine within the Future 2 neighborhood with no matter proof Bungie has. It could nonetheless represent a breach of his NDA, however it will make extra sense than Ekuegan probably blowing up his profession to momentarily and secretly impress a small Discord channel.
Ekuegan didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Different large Future 2 streamers and content material creators have equally been in disbelief. I’ve seen Ekuegan as nothing however type to me & the neighborhood,” wrote Gladd. “He’s a pillar. I belief him; take it for what it’s value. On the VERY least, Bungie wants to take a look at this extra carefully.” Future 2 lore YouTuber Byf was more concise: “No clue what to suppose. Complete scenario sucks.”
It’s not clear when or if any solutions might be forthcoming. Bungie hasn’t elaborated past its preliminary two tweets, and didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Within the meantime, Ekuegan continues to be streaming different video games and stated he’s working on clearing his name. “I’ve gotten to a spot the place I’m pleased with who I’m in life,” he tweeted. “I personally know the reality, I do know who I’m and I’m completely satisfied understanding it. Solely God can choose me.”
Replace 4/17/23 10:24 p.m. ET: Bungie launched a brand new assertion late Monday night time saying it had “irrefutable proof” displaying a sample of Ekuegan leaking confidential details about Future 2 for a number of years now.
“We’re very disenchanted to have realized this data and want that issues had gone in a different way with this particular person,” the studio wrote. “We don’t take these actions frivolously, and we’re assured in our choice. That is our closing communication on the matter.”