Schedule I: Best Seller Causes Storm in a Teacup Over Achievement Name
Schedule I by Tyler’s Video Game Studio (TVGS) has been accused by a handful of X (Twitter) users of using racist language that perpetuates harmful stereotypes because of the name of an achievement in the game called “Indian Dealer.”
When Schedule I launched on PC on March 24, 2025, it became an overnight sensation reaching number three on the best seller list and peaking at 459,075 active players. It’s estimated that more than 5 million copies of the game have been sold.
It was X user Cro who got the ball rolling by tweeting: “I’m loving the game but can you remove this achievement? It’s incredibly racist. The only achievement specifying a race.”
Cro tagged the account IndigiHorrorSquad which immediately followed with a lengthy justification and a tweet saying: “We love Schedule I–but the “Indian Dealer” achievement uses a racist phrase tied to harmful stereotypes. We’re asking (TVGS) to rename/remove it.”
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YouTube Channels Flips The Script
Once the thread got going on X, it didn’t take long for the issue to reach YouTube where channels like ENDYMIONtv and Asmongold TV were quick to lambast Cro and IndigiHorrorSquad, suggesting that the outrage is simply virtue signaling.
“Calling it harmful stereotyping may be a bit of a stretch, especially when you consider that Schedule I is a game full of, let’s be real, dark humor and sarcasm aplenty. Plus, I also find it quite funny that the only thing these activists find problematic is this achievement,” ENDYMIONtv said in a video.
“This isn’t about justice, it’s about power. They want devs to grovel to them and Schedule I is getting the full treatment as we can all see.”
The Asmongold TV YouTube channel is run by Zack Hoyt, known for commenting on pop-culture relating to politics, social issues, and gaming. He said as a response to the accusations of racism in Schedule I that people should avoid games that could upset them.
“People always want to censor and remove things that they don’t like. No. Stop interfacing with things that make you mad and stop trying to make the world accommodate you,” Hoyt said.
“The level of narcissism and self-importance that these people have is actually, to me, kind of impressive. That someone can be this (explicit) delusional.”
Not The Only Controversy Surrounding Schedule I
After the game was released, Movie Games SA launched an internal investigation into potential infringement on its Drug Dealer Simulator IP. The company specifically targeted gameplay mechanics, user interface, and certain narrative elements.
So far no lawsuit has been filed against TVGS and the investigation was described as a necessary measure given that Movie Games SA is a publicly listed company.
Both games revolve around building a drug empire but they are vastly different in style and presentation. Schedule I is more of a stylized cartoon compared to Drug Dealer Simulator’s more realistic approach.
Big Titles Under Fire
Indie games are usually left out of controversy unless they appear on the radar for one thing or another. In the case of Schedule I, it’s become a victim of its own success. With more eyes on the multi-million dollar games developed and published by AAA studios, they often find themselves in the crosshairs.
It’s only April but so far at least three major titles have come under fire. Avowed, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios, stirred up commotion because gamers and devs locked heads over the quality of the game, especially after YouTubers started comparing Avowed to games released 15 years ago, saying they were much better on most levels.
This was followed by the release of Ubisoft’s long awaited Assassin’s Creed: Shadows which came under heavy fire for historical inaccuracies, and again, devs and gamers locked heads with devs and fans of the game defending it while other gamers went on the offensive against the game.
In the case of Shadows, there was another issue, that of desecrating temples and artifacts sacred to Japanese culture, the place and time in which the game takes place. It went as far in Japan as the highest levels of government and Ubisoft coming up with a hotfix to sort out the issue.
Currently, Marathon by Bungie, the company behind the Halo franchise has come under the loophole even though the game hasn’t been released yet.
