EXCLUSIVE: Mind Riot Entertainment will work with journalist, game developer and computer programmer Brianna Wu for Gamergate, a series about her experience as a critic and target of the notorious 2014 online harassment campaign, for which the studio has optioned life rights.

The 2014 Gamergate online campaign ignited a firestorm for its targeting of women in the gaming industry which laid the foundation for current issues of disinformation and hate. Before QAnon, Covid-19 conspiracists and the January 6th insurrection, there was Gamergate. Wu was among the targeted women, which also included Zoë Quinn and Anita Sarkeesian.

The series will explore the origins of the widespread intimidation campaign from the perspective of multiple, fictional people in the game industry – from executives to journalists and indie developers.

Gamergate is co-created and co-written by Wu and J. Brad Wilke (Camel Spiders), and will be produced by Mind Riot Entertainment’s Jonathan Keasey (Parallel) and Jeremy J. Dodd (One Nation Under Earl).

In 2014, the personal attacks force Wu and her husband to flee their Boston home in the wake of online death threats as a result of her efforts to support female game developers, journalists, and players targeted online by violent and sexist attacks via social media and message boards.

In the aftermath, Wu ran for congress in 2018, representing women in tech. Wu has shared her story in a number of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Guardian. Her experience along, with those of other Gamergate targets, have been addressed in a number of television and film projects including the 2015 documentary GTFO and the “Intimidation Game” episode of Law & Order: SVU.

“We’re not going to retread the same story told in thousands of news stories from outlets such as the New York Times and Washington Post, plus multiple documentaries like GTFO. Our series will focus on new, fictional people within the industry reacting to a horrific situation. By explaining how they were unable to stop the video game industry from being hijacked by the lunatic fringe – we can show how the tactics of Gamergate were the same ones that led to tragedies like Christchurch and January 6th,” said Wu.

Keasey added: “Working with Brianna is a huge score for us. Based in Seattle, one of the country’s meccas for gaming, we’ve been wanting to shed light on this subject matter for a while and are honored that Brianna will be co-writing the series alongside Brad.”

Mind Riot Entertainment is repped by Katrina Brede and Bracepoint Law; Keasey is repped by Circle of Confusion and Hirsch, Wallerstein, Hayum, Matlof + Fishman; Wilke is repped by Mind Riot Entertainment and Bracepoint Law; Dodd is repped by Mind Riot Entertainment and Bracepoint Law.