The official Discord server for the popular gacha game “Snowbreak: Containment Zone” is at the center of an intense controversy following the implementation of drastic changes in moderation management by a new administration, presumably linked to the developer company Seasun. These changes have resulted in the resignation or dismissal of the vast majority of the volunteer moderation team and have generated accusations of censorship and poor treatment towards the community.
New Requirements and Compensation Reduction
According to reports from former moderators shared on platforms like Reddit, the new management, headed by a newly assigned lead admin, abruptly imposed new work requirements. Volunteer moderators were required to dedicate a minimum of 8 hours of work per week and meet a monthly quota of 40 moderation actions.
Attempts by the moderators to explain the infeasibility of verifying hours and the risk that a quota would incentivize unjustified actions (such as random bans) were ignored. Simultaneously, a significant cut in compensation was announced: the monthly 3000 Digicash (equivalent to a monthly pass of approximately 5 USD) would be reduced to 1200 or 1600 Digicash if the quota was met, and to just 800 Digicash (equivalent to 5 “pulls” or summons in the game) if it was not met.
Merging of Roles and Poor Communication
In addition to the new requirements, moderators were informed that the role of the logistics team, responsible for creating guides and answering game questions, would be merged with the moderator role. This implied that moderators would now also have the responsibility of generating written content, similar to content creators, a task that goes beyond traditional moderation.
Communication from the new administration was described as non-existent or openly hostile. No clear explanations were offered regarding the reasons behind these radical changes, and questions or negotiation attempts by the moderation team were met with rudeness, according to testimonies.
Mass Resignations and Control Measures
The situation escalated quickly, leading to the resignation or dismissal of the vast majority of the moderation teams for English (EN), Korean (KR), Spanish (ES), and French (FR). Several of these members were subsequently muted or banned from the server without explanation, even in cases like a former lead moderator who was banned while trying to say goodbye to the community.
Since then, the server administration has taken measures that the community interprets as attempts to control the discussion:
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“Slow mode” was activated in all English-speaking channels.
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The word “moderator” was added to the word filter.
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They resorted to mass muting and banning users who tried to discuss the situation.
Censorship and New Moderation Team
Reports indicate that most of the current moderators are new, predominantly of Chinese origin (CN). They are accused of ignoring previous protocols that required warnings and reports before a ban, opting for instant bans on users discussing topics considered “forbidden”. These topics include criticism of the game’s “master love” narrative and mentions of Ling Yi, a playable male character removed during the beta (a sensitive topic in the CN community).
What’s your take on these changes to Snowbreak’s community management? How do you think this will impact the game’s future and its relationship with the players?
