Japanese media has reported that a 40-year old man has been arrested for sending death threats to Square Enix over a video game.
“Give me back my money from your shit game,” wrote Kenichi Hiratsuka on July 23rd. “Do you want a repeat of Kyoto Animation?”
In late July (several days prior to Hiratsuka’s threats), a 41-year old man screaming “You die!” entered Kyoto Animation’s studio and set it on fire, killing 33 people and injuring more than 30 others in an attack that shocked the nation. Majority of the victims were the studio’s employees, some of whom have just started returning to work, according to Japan Today.
Upon being apprehended, Hiratsuka claimed that he was “pissed off at losing in a game.”
This is the second time Square Enix has been threatened with violence this year. Back in March, a 25-year old was arrested for threatening to kill employees for not getting an item he wanted in a gacha game after spending a significant sum of money on it.
Kyoto Animation wasn’t as lucky but its employees have resolved to continue doing what they love in another office building.
“I want to keep doing my best, so that people won’t feel like the quality of Kyoto Animation’s anime has dropped at all,” a 52-year old studio veteran, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Japan Today. “Continuing to create anime, in the same way we always have, is the greatest counterattack to what the arsonist did.”
Our thoughts are with everyone at Kyoto Animation and Square Enix Japan.
[Source: Siliconera, Japan Today]
