Unnamed speaker criticised Unpacking dev's inclusion
The organisers of Australian independent games showcase Parallels have rejected accusations of "prejudice" and say they've received "violent threats", after a Jewish developer had her sponsorship of the event refunded. The developer in question is Wren Brier, creative director at Unpacking developers Witch Beam. She claims an unnamed speaker booked for the event has accused her of being a "zionist", following an article about her game from an Australian Jewish publication.
On 8th October, Brier announced that Parallels organisers Freeplay had refunded and delisted her sponsorship, following complaints about her involvement from the anonymous speaker. According to Brier, the speaker called her a "zionist", apparently based on the presence of Witch Beam's 2021 puzzler Unpacking in a round-up of Israeli and Jewish-made videogames from The Jewish Independent, published on 5th October to mark this year's Melbourne International Games Week. Brier herself does not identify as Zionist and does not live in Israel, having left the country as a teenager.
There is much heated disagreement about what "Zionism" involves. Many protesters of Israel's vicious and inhuman war on Gaza define Zionism as a violent ethnonationalist project, comparable to European fascism, but the term has a long history that encompasses the desire for safety and security among Jewish people amid virulent antisemitism in other countries, before and after the Holocaust. I am not Jewish, and my understanding of these things is threadbare, but one thing we can say for sure is that being Jewish does not make you a Zionist. To conflate the two is actively antisemitic.
"I am Jewish," Brier wrote in her Bluesky thread from 8th October, which was posted a few hours before the Parallels event began. "I was born in Israel. I emigrated to Australia when I was 18. I did not serve in the military. I have never expressed any anti-Palestinian views. I really wanted to believe that 'zionist' wasn't a dogwhistle for 'Jewish' but I don't know what else it could be here.
"No one bothered to check whether the accusation was true," she went on. "The first I heard of any of this was this morning, when Freeplay told me they were refunding my donation and removing me as a sponsor because my mere name being listed 'has created an untenable environment' for their speakers."
Brier says she was not aware that Unpacking had been featured in the Jewish Independent piece. She credits the game's inclusion to the fact that it contains three Jewish cultural items - a dreidel, a menorah (pictured above on the table), and a hamsa, among hundreds of other objects the player is asked to unbox and arrange. "That was enough to make a speaker accuse me of being 'zionist', which in turn was enough for Freeplay to remove me as a sponsor, literally on the day of the event," Brier wrote.
"I've always loved Parallels, I've even participated in it myself and showed Unpacking there way back in 2018," she continued. "But I don't think I'll ever be able to support it or Freeplay again. I know at least one Freeplay board member has quit the board over this, too. This is discrimination, pure and simple."
Other game developers have come forward in Brier's support. "For the record, I had heard via-via murmurs of this and strongly objected to describing you as Zionist, and vouched for your person several times," wrote former Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail in response to her Bluesky thread. "I'm so sorry things played out like this. This is indeed deeply distressing."
Former Splash Damage writer Ed Stern added: "Wren, this is so stupid and absurd I don’t even know where to start."
Recently founded industry news site Vertical Slice have since obtained a copy of the email to Brier, informing her that her sponsorship had been refunded. "We value you as a member of the Freeplay community," it reads, "but unfortunately your involvement in Parallels has created an environment that is untenable for a number of our speakers, and it is very important to us that Parallels 2026 goes ahead. Freeplay has mixed feelings about this very difficult decision, and we sincerely wish our speakers had raised these concerns earlier so we could engage with you and look for a solution."
According to This Week In Videogames, meanwhile, at least two Freeplay board members in total have resigned over the decision to exclude Brier.
As reported by This Week In Videogames, this year's Parallels event included several statements of support for Palestinians in Gaza from Freeplay board member Joel Davidson and Origame Digital's Naphtali Faulkner, developer of the recent post-colonial horror Penguin Colony. Among the games featured was Dreams on a Pillow, created by Palestinian developer Rasheed Abueideh, who was not present at the event, but recorded a video address.
Supporters of Palestinians regularly call for a boycott of products made in Israel, and of projects or companies such as Microsoft that have business connections with the Israeli state and military. Unpacking does not appear to have any such links: according to Brier, it was made by developers based in Queensland, Australia, with funding from state body Screen Queensland. As for Brier's sponsorship of Parallels, she was not present at the event itself, but sent her studio logo for inclusion on the sponsor list.
Hitherto, Freeplay and Parallels have been affiliated with the Melbourne International Games Week, itself organised by the state cultural body the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. But according to a spokesperson, the ACMI "acted immediately to pause its support" after learning about Brier's delisting. “This was a clear breach of the Games Week code of conduct, which prohibits discrimination on any basis including sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, disability, or any other protected attribute," the spokesperson told This Week In Videogames, noting that Freeplay are an independent entity and that they did not consult with the ACMI, before delisting Brier.
Now, finally, Freeplay themselves have come forward with a statement about the situation, which was sent to RPS among other outlets, following a request for comment yesterday. The statement doesn't identify the originator of the "zionism" claim.
"For 22 years, Freeplay has been a diverse, inclusive and welcoming place for people of many different backgrounds and perspectives to get together, chat about games and our lived experiences," it reads. "We can’t express how much we value our community, sponsors and donors and all of the support we have received over the years.
"Recently, the board decided to refund and remove acknowledgement of a donor from Parallels 2026," they go on. "The donor has been a valued member of the Freeplay community for many years. We regret the manner in which aspects of this process occurred and the upset this has caused within our community. We will be seeking further discussions with all affected parties to hopefully achieve a better outcome for the situation moving forward.
"The public discussion has included serious allegations about the motivations behind our actions," the statement acknowledges. "We reject suggestions that Freeplay acted out of prejudice towards any person or community. We made a very difficult decision under significant time pressure with the understanding that Parallels 2026 was at risk of not going ahead."
"We understand many of you would like clarity on the events from us," Freeplay write. "Given the sensitivities of the situation, and our responsibility to everyone involved, we won't be commenting on private communications or the various claims that have been made publicly. This week, members of our board have received violent threats, which we have reported to the police. We know that feelings in our community are running high. We ask that if you choose to engage online, please do so with care and respect for everyone involved."