The company behind Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast, has ended its working relationship with Noah Bradley, an artist for the game that has been accused of sexual assault by a number of women over the past few days. On Sunday, Bradley issued a statement on Twitter, admitting to being a "shitty, creepy sexual predator" and a "selfish asshole" who preyed on vulnerable women at industry events.
A long overdue acknowledgement & apology pic.twitter.com/UssuKQBpYi
— Noah Bradley (@noahbradley) June 21, 2020
If you're thinking of accepting Noah Bradley's apology, consider that he has shared his playbook in the past and it's a handbook on manipulation pic.twitter.com/hLWwBaJnLv
— 🐤🐤🐤 (@birdswithknees) June 21, 2020
In response to these allegations, Wizards of the Coast released a statement, saying that it has fully cut ties with Bradley. However, the statement also indicates that some of his art will still appear in products that are scheduled to be released due to "the long timeframe between commissioning art [and] the manufacturing of printed products." Bradley's work will not be included in reprints, however.
Bradley is one of many figures in the gaming industry who have been accused of sexual misconduct over the past few days, including writer Chris Avellone and several Twitch streamers. Earlier this month, Wizards of the Coast announced that it will be removing a number of Magic cards from its database due to their racist content, including one card that depicts hood-wearing soldiers and carried the card ID 1488, a thinly-veiled reference to white supremacy.