Midnight Society, the creator-led developer behind the web3 extraction shooter Deadrop, has severed ties with co-founder Guy "DrDisrespect" Beahm following an internal investigation into alleged misconduct. This move comes in the wake of resurfaced allegations regarding Beahm's 2020 ban from Twitch.
Guy "DrDisrespect" Beahm
What is Deadrop?
Deadrop, formerly known as "Project Moon," is Midnight Society's Vertical Extraction Shooter (VES) that mixes arena shooter level design with Battle Royale scale and extraction shooter strategy. Players fight for the best loot or attempt to escape with their gear intact.
Vertical Extraction Shooter
Deadrop puts a twist on the battle royale formula with its Vertical Extraction Shooter approach. An extraction shooter is a PvPvE raid game in the vein of Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown. Players keep whatever they grab during a successful run, but die and everything's gone. The "vertical" part means the action takes place inside a towering structure.
Recent Updates
Deadrop recently teased a new mode called Midnight Ride that mashes up car racing with shooter mechanics. For 2024, the team is prioritizing behind-the-scenes work: upgraded visuals, a quests and contracts system, and console certification to meet platform requirements.
Midnight Society Cuts DrDisrespect
Over the weekend, Cody Conners, a former Twitch account director for strategic partnerships, alleged that DrDisrespect was banned from the platform for inappropriately messaging a minor. Multiple sources confirmed the claims.
Cody Conners Statement on X
Midnight Society launched its own internal investigation into Beahm's conduct. After reviewing the findings, the studio announced it has terminated its relationship with Beahm.
DrDisrespect Sued Twitch
Before these allegations resurfaced, DrDisrespect sued Twitch over the ban. In 2022, the two parties settled with no admission of wrongdoing from either side, and Twitch paid Beahm the remainder of his exclusivity contract. Beahm maintained his innocence on Friday, June 22, stating he did "nothing illegal, [and] no wrongdoing was found."
Midnight Society Statement on X
The future of Midnight Society, Deadrop, and its 55 employees is now uncertain. As a creator-led startup, the company's reputation was tightly linked to Beahm's public persona. Cutting ties with DrDisrespect may help the studio rebuild its reputation, but losing Beahm's platform and community support is a serious setback.
DrDisrespect has announced an indefinite break from streaming, leaving his followers and the gaming community wondering what comes next for the once prominent streamer.
Project Roadmap 2024
Since the studio launched in 2021 and started "Project Moon," there have been seven major releases during the Foundation and Expansion phases. The current Refinement phase focuses on targeted public releases, design tests, and player feedback sessions, all building toward an early access release across all approved platforms.
Deadrop 2024 Roadmap
Optimization
The team is working with Epic Games to optimize Unreal Engine 5. The goal is to squeeze every bit of performance out of the engine while keeping the game playable across different hardware setups. Players with 1070-equivalent graphics cards should get solid framerates, while high-end rigs will push even higher.
Hideout
The Hideout, shown in early snapshots, is the player's pre-game hub for forming squads, showing off stashes, and hanging out. The redesigned Hideout will return with support for new features like vehicles, vendors, and displays.
Midnight Ride Screenshot
Future Planning
The team is building systems that let the community create, import, and sell their own in-game content. This groundwork will allow seamless integration of third-party creations down the line.
Visuals
Deadrop's visuals are nearing completion. This includes polishing environments, sectors, characters, and weapons. Because visual refinement takes so much work, there will be fewer releases with more focused testing to balance this with game optimization.
Quests and Contracts
Quests and Contracts are core to Deadrop's design. Players can team up with or work for different in-game factions to earn rewards. These systems will be a major focus in upcoming testing phases.
Midnight Ride Gameplay
Console
Console certification is a top priority. The team is working to meet the strict requirements of console platforms for early releases, so all players can get in during this early development stage.
Final Thoughts
The team is pushing toward public release, using community feedback to refine gameplay and visuals. Major milestones will get specific updates. Check Discord for playtest announcements and other releases.
