Pirate Software issues ‘final’ statement on “absurd” OnlyFangs WoW controversy
Blizzard / Twitch: Pirate SoftwareEmbroiled in controversy, Pirate Software has now issued a ‘final’, definitive statement on the OnlyFangs drama among the World of Warcraft community. The divisive streamer now hopes to ‘wash his hands’ of the situation.
The start of 2025 has been a saga for the history books in the WoW scene, though not for the right reasons. Controversy has been rife across social media, with Pirate Software smack bang in the middle of it.
For those not caught up, the game dev turned streamer came under fire for his actions in the OnlyFangs guild. Over the past few weeks, members of the guild have been grinding on Hardcore servers, where death is final and characters are permanent erased.
Pirate Software’s actions came into question during a Dire Maul run, wherein, a group of five players got overwhelmed and decided to backtrack. Amid the chaos, two members met their demise, with many pinning the blame on Pirate. As a Mage, his character could’ve helped slow down angry mobs of enemies with crowd control (CC) effects, but instead, he cast Ice Barrier on himself and assured there was nothing he could have done to assist his guildmates.
What ensued was an immense wave of backlash, urging OnlyFangs leader and fellow streamer Sodapoppin to kick Pirate from the guild. It’s been an ongoing dispute ever since and now, the controversial figure has spoke up, in what he claimed will be the last time, issuing a definitive statement on the controversy at hand.
Twitch: PirateSoftwarePirate Software fires back at OnlyFangs drama in ‘final’ statement
“This OnlyFangs stuff actually sucks,” Pirate began in a lengthy January 15 address on X (formerly Twitter). “Putting everything in one place and washing my hands of it after this.”
First, the streamer sought to clarify his actions in the Dire Maul run once and for all. Despite many explanations in the fallout, here, he doubled down in arguing “From my perspective, I didn’t feel I could save anyone else with the resources I had.
“Since the call to run was made, I followed the call and got out as quickly as possible,” he explained. Pirate then claimed “the entire thing” had been pinned on him “despite everyone making mistakes” on the five-man crew.
As the controversy has been the biggest focus in the streaming community to start the new year, some pesky viewers have taken things a bit too far in their criticism, a point even Sodapoppin agrees on. It’s the litany of death threats Pirate sought to address next.
“The next few days was just tens of thousands of messages berating me, sending death threats, doxxing, and all kinds of sh**.
Examples provided on X revealed death threats received through private messages directly in WoW. Some players threatened to stab him as ‘people waited’ at his local grocery store, while others brought his parents into the equation, threatening harm to his family as well.
Bashing the “hate raid,” Pirate explained why he issued bans en masse, spending multiple days purely focused on reporting “attack accounts.”
“The idea that you shouldn’t fight back or do anything to defend yourself is absurd,” he stressed. “Absolutely do something about sh** like this. Defend yourself and report that kind of behavior.”
Pirate Software leaves door open for OnlyFangs reunion of sorts
Closing out his statement, while not named directly, Pirate thanked a number of OnlyFangs guild members who “reached out” amid the fallout to show support.
“Was fun running together and maybe we will again one day in a different game,” he concluded, suggesting he’s open to playing with the guild’s members, just in a space far removed from WoW.
WoW community still not thrilled with Pirate Software
Despite this lengthy statement, many in the community remain unhappy with Pirate’s take on the situation. For many, it’s a matter of taking responsibility, as dozens on X argued he just needed to apologize and move on.
“Try to say sorry challenge (impossible), a common retort. “This is preschool behavior,” another chimed in. “All you had to do was apologize [for[ killing two level 60 characters. Grow up.”
“Bro doesn’t deserve death threats but his attitude this whole time is extremely shitty,” one viewer said. “Man who talks big and down to others constantly shows he has minimal skill in a game and refuses to take accountability and shifts blame constantly.”
For now, Pirate has claimed he’s washing his hands of the drama and that he won’t be addressing it any further. In the meantime, the OnlyFangs guild continues to make strides in Hardcore Wow, with the likes of Tyler1 and Sodapoppin still grinding daily.