On 3rd March Middle-Earth Shadow Of War producer Michael Forgey passed away after a long battle with cancer. The staff at Monolith studios wanted to immortalize him , and recently we got to know that Forgey will appear in game via a DLC as Forthog Orc-Slayer.
The name of the DLC is an amalgamation of Michael’s last name (Forgey) and his band Orc Slayer. The DLC will cost $4.99 out of which $3.50 will be given as donations to the Forgey family.
While many including myself commended Warner Bros and Monolith for the gesture and the fact that they were recognizing the efforts of someone who was crucial to the game’s development , and cementing his legacy by making him part of Middle Earth- Shadow Of War. A recent report has perhaps uncovered a far more sinister side to the story.
A recent highlighted a major flaw with the purported intentions of the Forthog Orc-Slayer DLC. Here are the fact
- Warner Bro’s will not be donating all of the revenue that is generated from the DLC to charity. 30% will still remain with WB or the platform holder. (most likely the platform holder).
- – Anywhere outside of the US is exempt from this (along with certain exempt US States (Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi and South Carolina)), and hence it stands to reason that WB will be keeping the revenue generated by all of the donations made outside from the 44 states.
- They have already stated that any purchase outside the US will not count as a donation.
This can be clearly seen in the tweet below.
You are right about that, but you can also help by spreading the word. Thanks for your support.
— Shadow of War (@shadowofwargame)
This raises a very valid question of whether WB and Monolith are actually profiting from the death of an employee? I can see no reason as to why the purchase of the DLC outside the USA will not count as a donation. To be fair to WB and monolith they have not tried to hide the fact , but the question remains whether they will address this matter? Cause as it stands this could potentially becoming a consumer advocacy issue.
Having lost a family member to cancer and knowing all to well the pain and the struggle that comes along with it. I symphatize with the Forgey family and their loss. It’s just not ok to profit from somebody’s death in any way,shape or form. I hope the folks at Monolith and Warner Bro’s can at least offer a reasonable explanation to this debacle and put this right.
