When a highly anticipated videogame gets delayed a bit of rancour is expected, but lately things have been getting weird. Getting weird is perhaps unfair as many aspects of nerd culture are already weird. Suffice it to say that something that was already weird put on a power ballad mixtape, spent two weeks learning absurdity from a wise old maintenance man, then went to the regional ridiculousness finals and bagged the silliest trophy in the room.
This new high watermark for strange fan behaviour began when Kotaku.com ran an article regarding the possibility that the game No Man’s Sky would be delayed. Some fans, by no means a majority but a number greater than one (which in itself is a surprise), responded to this news with vitriol directed to the author of the article and even threats via email and social media. The outrage seemed to be based in the idea that the author had lied, inventing a story to get attention.
Content from our partners
