GamesIndustry Staff Wednesday 26th February 2020 Share this article Share

Panic Art Studios studios CEO Elias Viglione has backtracked after posting a series of racist tweets allegedly inciting violence against immigrants.

The tweets appeared during the small hours of Saturday morning, and freelance esports social media manager Nasim Haque was able to capture the expletive-laden thread before it was removed.

He threatened to focus his future investments to "kill as many of these animals as possible," adding that it was his "life goal from now on."

Viglione has since shut down his personal Twitter account, and the official Panic Art Studios Twitter account was locked for several days.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Viglione described the outburst as a "moment of temporary insanity."

"I was in a psychotic state after almost being robbed and beaten to a pulp by five immigrants who accused me of drugging someone inside the bar I was in with my friends," he said.

"I have bad ADHD and most likely schizophrenia; I am seeing a psychiatrist and trying to cope with life being overworked burned out and anxious all the time.

"I removed the tweets as fast as possible, and my Twitter account to protect myself from this kind of situation. What I said was disgusting and inhumane, so yes I am very sorry to anyone who was affected by this."