This thread is intended to clear the air in regards to the false accusation from a former employee, Mr. Tariq Lacy.
On the morning of November 20th, 2017, Japan Standard Time, Mr. Lacy posted a false accusation claiming that development of TINY METAL used funds from Project Phoenix.
Despite presenting evidence to the falsehood of Tariq’s accusations, his lies have been repeated and have deterred potential players from enjoying TINY METAL. We have shared confidential evidence to members of the press, leading to Gamespot confirming that TINY METAL never once used Project Phoenix funding.
Gamespot: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/facing-accusations-of-mismanagement-project-phoeni/1100-6455702/
TINY METAL has only ever used outside sources of funding. Our staff have personally gone through considerable sacrifices and hardship to bring TINY METAL to life. To claim that we used Project Phoenix development funds to create TINY METAL is an insult to all the developers who have made these sacrifices.
Japanese law prevents us from providing full details about Mr. Lacy, his motivations, and his actions during his brief time at our company. Please understand that Japanese law would not protect us from potential further abuse from Mr. Lacy if we provide these details in public.
He has refused to apologise for his lies. Our only option to clear our name is to bring Mr. Lacy to court. Unfortunately, he is ignoring multiple legal correspondence in an attempt to delay. Once we submit evidence to the court, it will become public and everyone can understand the truth. We hope that this message will be received by him and that he will take actions to resolve this serious matter.
The lies Mr. Lacy posted are not the first of his actions deserving to be brought to court, they are merely the most public. We wrongly thought we could be free of him in private, but he has forced the issues public.
The motivations behind Mr. Lacy’s actions will become clear as the court case unfolds, and we will keep everyone informed as the case progresses. The court will be open to the public and we have invited journalists to attend.
We are a small and earnest team, though Mr. Lacy’s actions in the office and posting of his lies has caused great distress among his former co-workers. We have devoted over two years of our lives to bring TINY METAL to life. Having poured our heart and souls into TINY METAL, it is truly a sad thing to see false and evidence-less accusations cause such great harm.
I want to end this message on a positive note: we will continue despite how much we have been hurt. Our goal is to make TINY METAL the very best game it can be, no matter what obstacles we may face. TINY METAL was a passion project for all of us and we thank you everyone for your support.
Hiroaki Yura
Producer / Director