Unpacking creative director Wren Brier has criticised Freeplay, the organiser behind Australian independent video game showcase Parallels, for ousting her as an event sponsor after an unnamed speaker allegedly accused her of being a "Zionist."
Parallels was held on October 8, 2026, during Melbourne International Games Week. Its sponsors included Devolver Digital, Jackbox Games, Massive Monster, Strange Scaffold, Hipster Whale, and—until the day of the event—Brier.
Brier claimed she was accused of being a "Zionist" because Unpacking was featured in an article published by a Jewish Australian publication. The story is entitled 'Eight Jewish and Israeli video games you should check out' and spotlights other titles like Perfect Tides: Station to Station, The Light in the Darkness, and The Shivah.
In a thread on Bluesky, she said "no one [on the Freeplay board] bothered to check whether the accusation was true," but still proceeded to refund her donation and remove her as a sponsor for creating "an untenable environment."
"I am Jewish. I was born in Israel. I emigrated to Australia when I was 18. I did not serve in the military. I have never expressed any anti-Palestinian views. I really wanted to believe that 'Zionist' wasn't a dogwhistle for 'Jewish' but I don't know what else it could be here," Brier continued.
"[...] I put three Jewish items in my game five years ago so it made it into a listicle on a Jewish Australian publication. That was enough to make a speaker accuse me of being 'Zionist,' which in turn was enough for Freeplay to remove me as a sponsor, literally on the day of the event."
During an 'ask me anything' on Reddit in 2022, Brier described herself as "culturally jewish but not religious" when an Unpacking player expressed their appreciation at the inclusion of a dreidel (a spinning toy associated with Hanukkah) in the first level of the puzzler.
"It was an aspect of myself that felt important to include in the game. It's been so heartening to see people's responses to it, that it's made them feel seen and included," she replied at the time.
Brier claimed a member of the Freeplay board resigned over the decision to remove her as a sponsor. Speaking to Vertical Slice over email, Brier reiterated she was not offered the chance to defend herself and said Freeplay leadership "provided no explanation as to what I was being accused of doing to create this untenable environment or who was accusing me of this."
"They actually said in the email that they’d only be up for discussing this 'in the coming weeks' after the event, so it seemed they didn’t even think I deserved an explanation anytime soon."
Brier agreed to share the email she received from the Freeplay board with Vertical Slice. We've included a screenshot of the message below, with the sender's email address redacted for privacy.
Brier said her involvement with Parallels comprised a one-off donation to a crowdfunding campaign. She also sent her logo to organisers for inclusion on a sponsor list (screenshot below). "I didn’t even know who the speakers were, let alone have any involvement with the content. I wasn’t even attending as I’m out of the country," she added.
Brier was highlighted as a Parallels sponsor in a Bluesky post on October 6, 2026
Brier said she learned of the "Zionism" accusation from the board member who resigned, before it was confirmed to her during a phone call with a current board member.
Freeplay declined to comment when approached by Vertical Slice. "Given the complexities of this situation and the seriousness with which we are taking this situation, we are seeking advice on this matter," said an event representative.
The term "Zionism" does not have a singular definition. As noted by The Guardian, the word can be used to describe the desire for "Jewish self-determination and statehood in the context of rising European antisemitism."
By contrast, members of the UK Green Party recently voted to adopt an anti-Zionist policy that defines Zionism as the "continuation of an ethnonationalist Jewish State in historic Palestine to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population." Party members added that "anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism."
Antisemitism researchers have stressed that Zionism and Judaism are not one and the same. "Not all Jews live in Israel, not all Israelis are Jewish, and not all Jews are Zionists. There are also non-Jewish Zionists, such as Christian Zionism," explains Anne Frank House, a non-profit organisation that researches antisemitism, racism and right-wing extremism in the Netherlands.
Governments around the world—including in the United Kingdom and Australia—agree that instances of antisemitism have surged following the Hamas-led assault in Southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in (sometimes deadly) attacks on Jewish communities.
In addition, an independent United Nations commission found that Israel's response to the October 7 attack must be viewed as a genocide that has resulted in "unprecedented suffering."
Chris is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience covering the video game industry. He was formerly news editor at Game Developer and is currently the founder and editor of this resplendent website.
