Dear friends,
Many volunteers playtested Bullet♥︎, and we included their names in the playtesters section of the rulebook. One of these included individuals, JR Honeycutt, has been responsible for a history of abusive behavior which was made public after his participation in the game's playtesting.
Our Stance
Abuse is vile and wrong. JR's actions deeply harmed many people, and those scars will never fully heal.
We have not worked with this individual since his deplorable actions were made public in 2019, and we will never work with him in the future. We have always been clear about our values as a company and we stand against abusers, who have no place in board gaming or any other industry or hobby.
How did this happen?
Before now, it's been the policy of Level 99 Games to report all of the individuals who participated in a game's creation in the credits. When reviewing the rulebook, our team followed this policy without considering its implications and how this decision might harm the victims of abuse.
In hindsight, it's clear that this policy is incompatible with our values. Our goal is to provide a safe and inclusive space with our games, and this decision went directly against that goal.
What will we do?
The first thing that's in order is an apology. We deeply regret this inclusion, and we apologize to the victims of JR's abuse who have been hurt further by our thoughtless action. JR's name will be removed from all future printings of Bullet♥︎, and has already been removed from the digital editions of the rulebook.
Because words alone are not enough, we are also donating a portion of the sales of Bullet♥︎ to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). You can join us in supporting survivors of abuse and preventing sexual violence here: https://www.rainn.org/
Finally, we will review this and all our similar policies, updating them to reflect our company values and our moral responsibility to our fans and to the hobby.
-----
Thank you as always for your support of Level 99 Games. We are listening to you and we are always working to do better for you.
