What Did The Infamous Game Developer 'YandereDev' Do And Why Is He So Controversial? The Recent Grooming Allegations Explained

Back in 2015, Yandere Simulator became a highly anticipated video game among many online, which offered players the chance to control a Japanese highschool student named Ayano "Yan-Chan" Aishi who must eliminate other students who compete for her love interest.

Jumping forward several years to the present day, a recent video emerged on TikTok this Monday, showing a person who alleged they were groomed by the Yandere Simulator developer (known as YandereDev or by his real name Alexander Mahan).

So what exactly happened to YandereDev as he's recently come back into the spotlight online? As expected, the grooming allegations that broke earlier this week have subsequently resulted in considerable backlash against the game developer online as the controversy sparked widespread discourse.

In case you're unfamiliar with the situation, here's everything you need to know about the incident. Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of alleged grooming and abuse of a minor.

What Did YandereDev Do?

Allegations revolving around YandereDev being called "creepy" or otherwise "weird" have been going on for over a decade with each new controversy, including the Discord Ban Speedruns back in June 2018, incidentally helping to promote his name and the game.

On August 1st, 2023, YouTuber Pixels After Dark uploaded a concise history of previous and recent drama involving YandereDev, titled "How Yandere Dev Profitted Off His Predator Allegations," which slowly garnered views as the video brought attention to his contentious history (shown below).

The grooming allegations mentioned in Pixel's video, however, were different from what would later come out. On September 25th, 2023, a video then began to float around online of a minor alleging details of Yandere Dev's inappropriate interactions.

The video was later reuploaded to YouTube by the channel Stimpson J. Cat, with credit being given to YouTuber and streamer AllyMcC — but this too was also removed. Currently, the YouTube channel osaauu6633 has an unlisted upload of the content, which has since amassed over 39,000 views and 2,000 likes in four days.

How Did YandereDev Respond To The Grooming Allegations?

A few hours after the video became a trending topic on social media this past Monday, the game developer took to his blog to apologize and own up to his "mistakes."

In the letter, Alex (YandereDev) admitted to making a "huge mistake," but claimed that the jokes made between him and the minor were things that he would make with any other friend.

Following this blog post, the controversy continued to garner attention and spread even further as people around the web weighed in on the allegations.

What Does 'Yandere' Mean?

The term “Yandere” is a combination of two Japanese words, the first is "yanderu," which means “to be sick,” and the second is "deredere," used here for “lovestruck.”

The combo is typically used to describe a person whose love drives them to obsession and violence. In the Yandere Simulator game, it’s defined as a girl “willing to threaten, harm, or kill any other girl who seems interested in him.”

For the full history of the YandereDev Grooming Allegations, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.