FACT CHECK: Did IGN Report ‘Star Wars’ Is Renaming Light And Dark Side Due To Racial Insensitivity?

Joseph Casieri | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on social media purportedly shows a screenshot of a post from IGN on changes that Lucasfilm will make to Star Wars.

Verdict: False

This post is fabricated.

Fact Check:

The new “Star Wars” show “The Acolyte” has received the lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes ever for one of its productions, The Independent reported. The show received a 14% on the audience score with 56% of viewers giving it a one-star review.

A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, purports to show a screenshot of a post from IGN that claims Lucasfilm will change the names related to “the Force.” The post shows a of characters Rey and Ashoka surrounding Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm.

“Star Wars to rename ‘Light Side’ and ‘Dark Side’ due to racially insensitive wording,” the alleged post reads. “Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy says: ‘It’s not 1977 anymore, times have changed, and Star Wars needs to adapt.’”

The caption reads, “When everything you see is racist, YOU’RE the racist. Give it back to George you incompetent hack.”

The claim is inaccurate. The screenshot is fabricated. There is no record of this post on IGN’s authentic social media accounts. There has been no press release from Lucasfilm on this topic. Likewise, there is no statement on Lucasfilm’s social media accounts.  (RELATED: Did The Economist Publish Cover With Crosshair On Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?)

John Davison, publisher at IGN, told Reuters, “IGN did not tweet that at any point.”

Check Your Fact contacted IGN for comment on this alleged post. We will update this piece if a response is provided.

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim the secret service sent a cease and desist letter to Gamer Supps.

Joseph Casieri

Fact Check Reporter

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