The creator of GoreBox, the violent sandbox video game that investigators have linked to one of the minors accused in the deadly Tacloban City school shooting, says he will assist Philippine authorities looking into the attack.
Felix Filip, who founded F2 Games and developed the title, conveyed his position in an email to the Inquirer. “When children have been harmed, I understand authorities wanting to act cautiously, and they have my full cooperation,” he said.
The attack unfolded on the morning of June 22 at San Jose National High School in Barangay San Jose, where two Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly entered classrooms and opened fire. Three students were killed and 20 others wounded, 15 of them by gunshots and the rest hurt while fleeing, according to figures given by Police Regional Office 8 director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy.
Capoy told reporters that the younger of the two had been playing GoreBox before the shooting, prompting police to examine whether online content shaped the teenager’s behavior. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center moved to temporarily block the game beginning June 23, with Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso describing the restriction as a precaution while the platform’s possible role is assessed.
Filip declined to weigh in on what drove the violence. “I don’t think it’s my place to speculate about the causes of this tragedy while the investigation is ongoing. I’d only ask that it be allowed to run its course and establish the facts,” he said.
He defended how the game is distributed and labeled, noting it carries an adult rating and is sold through Steam and Google Play under those platforms’ age-restriction and parental-control systems. Filip said the game also displays a recurring in-app notice — appearing on first launch and every tenth time afterward — telling players that the title is meant purely as fiction, does not endorse real-world violence, and urging anyone troubled by violent thoughts to seek help. He acknowledged that no developer can confirm the age of everyone who installs a game, which he said is the reason platform age-gates and parental tools exist, and added that he would back reasonable steps to strengthen them.
The 15-year-old has been charged before the Tacloban City Prosecutor’s Office with three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and several counts of serious physical injuries. Police are still tracing how the pair obtained the weapons used in the attack — a 9mm Glock registered to the 14-year-old’s aunt, a non-commissioned police officer since relieved from duty, and a .38 caliber revolver. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said authorities are weighing the accountability of the suspects’ parents and the aunt.
Filip closed by reaffirming his stance toward the inquiry. “I’ll continue to cooperate with any legitimate request from the Philippine authorities as they do,” he said.
