Earlier this year, Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees from its gaming division, Devann “LadyDevann” McCarthy being one of them. Since her firing from Bethesda, the former Fallout 76 community manager has been busy planning her next steps, and said she doubts she would have been able to accept being fired without the company’s support. Radiant community.
While news of layoffs from other companies in the gaming industry such as Microsoft and PlayStation has been significant over the past period, McCarthy’s firing certainly stood out more than most, and for one simple reason. Thank you for the tremendous love she received from the community she helped nurture. Thankfully, Fallout fan support for the former CM doesn’t seem to have waned in the months since.
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In an interview with VG247 for an upcoming feature, McCarthy outlined how the Fallout community helped her stay positive as she naturally went through a period of major change and upheaval in her life. “The community has been so supportive and they’ve really been there for me and gone out of their way to make me feel cared for,” she said. “I still get messages from them and they’re checking in on me and seeing how I’m doing and my game camp attractions. Got more visitors!”
“Before Fallout, support and love meant a lot to me [community manager], I was the host of GameStop TV and Twitch streams,” she continued. “GameStop TV no longer exists, and I had to start over with content creation and live streaming because I had been offline for so many years.The industry is in a tough spot [right now] There are many layoffs and few job postings.
“Without the support of the Fallout community, I don’t know that I would have been able to get through this layoff with the same positive outlook on life that I have now. I know they have high expectations for me, and that’s the fire that fuels my motivation. I move on to my next adventure. I want to create and work on something that they are proud to support and be a part of, something that brings meaningful positive change to the entire industry. They are my inspiration and motivation!”
LadyDevann concluded that while the next project, which has nothing to do with Fallout, “is a huge undertaking,” she’s not “afraid of showing it to the world,” but is excited to finally be able to show it to people.
While not everyone is lucky enough to have a gaming community that they help thrive, it’s nice to know that in this case, fans and players are often willing to go to any lengths to stay connected. Developers they already know and appreciate.
As McCarthy mentioned, especially during such a difficult time for the entire industry.