Freeplay's board responds over a donor dropped from Parallels 2026

Melbourne's Freeplay Independent Games Festival has issued a board statement about removing a donor from Parallels 2026, its indie showcase held on 8 October during Melbourne International Games Week.

Wren Brier, director of Unpacking at Brisbane studio Witch Beam, says she was removed as a supporter hours before the event, and that she was told it was over an accusation that she is a "zionist". She denies it.

Freeplay's board says it "regret[s] the manner in which aspects of this process occurred" and will seek discussions with the people affected. It says the decision was made "under significant time pressure" while Parallels 2026 was at risk of not going ahead, and that it rejects suggestions it "acted out of prejudice". It says it won't comment on private communications, and that board members have received violent threats, which were reported to police.

Brier told This Week in Videogames the statement doesn't offer an alternative explanation, and that it "appears to confirm that the decision was an act of discrimination made on the basis of my identity." ACMI, which runs Melbourne International Games Week, has paused its support for Freeplay, calling the removal "a clear breach of the Games Week code of conduct".