# “We made a very difficult decision”: Australian indie showcase Freeplay reject antisemitism claims after delisting a Jewish sponsor who was allegedly accused of being a “zionist”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/we-made-a-very-difficult-decision-australian-indie-showcase-freeplay-reject-antisemitism-claims-after-delisting-a-jewish-sponsor-who-was-allegedly-accused-of-being-a-zionist/
- Published: 2026-10-22T11:30:06+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T13:03:29+00:00
- Original publisher: Rock Paper Shotgun
- Original article: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-made-a-very-difficult-decision-australian-indie-showcase-freeplay-reject-antisemitism-claims-after-delisting-a-jewish-sponsor-who-was-allegedly-accused-of-being-a-zionist
- Topics: Software, Technology

## Key points

- Freeplay refunded Wren Brier’s Parallels sponsorship after a speaker objected.
- Brier says she was labelled a Zionist without the accusation being checked.
- Freeplay rejects prejudice claims and says it received violent threats.

## Summary

Freeplay, the organisers of Australian independent games showcase Parallels, refunded and removed a sponsorship from Wren Brier, creative director of Witch Beam, after an unnamed speaker objected to her involvement. Brier says the speaker called her a “zionist” and that organisers acted without checking the accusation; she describes the decision as discrimination and says she will no longer support Freeplay.

The dispute followed a Jewish publication’s article that included Brier’s game, Unpacking, in a round-up of Israeli and Jewish-made games. Brier, who is Jewish, was born in Israel and moved to Australia at 18; she says she does not identify as a Zionist and was unaware of the article. Freeplay said her presence had created an “untenable environment” for speakers, while organisers have rejected claims of prejudice and said they received violent threats. A Freeplay board member reportedly resigned, and developers including Rami Ismail publicly supported Brier.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.