Indie RPG Sea of Stars CEO, co-founder, and creative director of Sabotage Studio, Thierry Boulanger, has announced the replacement of an NPC based on internet personality Jirard “The Completionist” on all platforms, including PlayStation. Khalil has been accused of taking an “active role” in the growing controversy surrounding the Khalil family’s Open Hand Foundation, which collected more than $600k in charity donations that was supposed to go to dementia research.
Instead, the money sat in an Open Hand account for almost a decade. The entire saga is too convoluted to get into here, but the original story was broken by YouTuber Karl Jobst, and IGN has done a great job of chronicling events as they unfold. Boulanger posted an update to Discord, which RPGFan caught (thanks Nintendo Life), explaining the reasoning without getting bogged down in specifics.
The most relevant part reads: “We arrived at this decision after carefully monitoring events over the past few weeks, and while it is not our place to pass judgment, we do make it a priority to maintain a positive and optimistic space that reflects the spirit of our intentions, be they creative or otherwise.”
Khalil promoted the game, reserving space for The Messenger and Sea of Stars during his annual IndieLand fundraiser in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Boulanger was interviewed by Khalil throughout development, and it was during these streams Khalil would appeal for Open Hand donations. A character based on Khalil was eventually added, presumably as thanks for promoting the game, named “Jirard the Constructionist”. With the patch now live, the NPC has been replaced with the more generic but presumably less controversial Bob.
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
