Godot ‘woke’ controversy explained

Godot game engine faces backlash after its moderator censored users who criticized its ‘woke’ post on social media.

Godot, a popular open-source game engine, is under fire following a controversial online post and accusations of censorship.

The controversy began on September 24, when an indie developer shared footage of their upcoming game 'Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori', built using Unreal Engine 5. This prompted user @kryztofcheski to comment on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that "woke studios" use pre-built engines because they cannot build their own.

On September 27, Godot’s official X account responded with a sarcastic post, encouraging indie developers to showcase their "woke" games built using Godot. The post quickly went viral, garnering over 1.7 million views and sparking mixed reactions.

The controversy deepened when reports emerged that users who criticized the post were banned from unofficial Godot-related Discord channels by moderator Xananax.

Why are transes who take over such things, like Godot Engine leadership, so violent? Normal people don't make knives & murder part of their bios and usernames. https://t.co/TwxU4ASlcx pic.twitter.com/Ns8buLbCFE

— The Kosher Red Pill (@KosherRedPill) September 29, 2024

Allegations of Xananax’s past use of racial slurs further intensified the backlash.

Get a load of this Godot discord mod post history 👀https://t.co/aHPrgLseE3 pic.twitter.com/zbcaSuG5Il

— GamesNosh (@GamesNosh) September 29, 2024

In response, the Godot Foundation released a statement distancing itself from Xananax.

Godot is so confident in their official statement that they have locked replies. pic.twitter.com/5E1WyTx0mM

— Grummz (@Grummz) September 30, 2024

However, users on X accused the platform of avoiding accountability by locking replies to their official statement and claiming the Discord server was unofficial, despite it allegedly being prominently featured on their website.

Oh, it's an 'unofficial' Godot Discord now?
Funny, when I looked it was featured prominently on their website.

Damage control, getting the picture of how this group operates.

The creator pretended not to know what was going on, but in back channels endorsed the CMs actions. pic.twitter.com/m4svaNdoOq

— GamesNosh (@GamesNosh) September 30, 2024

Additionally, users expressed concerns that Godot was attempting to dox them by requiring Gmail addresses when applying for unblocking.

Godot are trying to dox users by forcing them to send their gmail email when applying for a unblock pic.twitter.com/1RGO2vtJZy

— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) September 30, 2024

The situation worsened when several long-term supporters were also blocked on GitHub, leading to further alienation among backers who had donated significantly to the platform.

This is getting insane.

Godot isn't just blocking devs on Twitter, they are blocking them on GitHub, preventing them for getting engine updates.

Open Source Engine? More like CLOSED TO OWN THE CHUDS. pic.twitter.com/WPhF7mgDa8

— Grummz (@Grummz) September 29, 2024

While the Godot Foundation has promised to review its moderation process and correct any errors, criticism over its handling of the situation and its treatment of supporters continues.