Studio Head Military Credentials Fake?Allegations have risen against the head of Pipeworks Studios, the developer behind Deadliest Warrior. Pipeworks’ studio lead, Robert Daly was yet another member of the team that supposedly added credence to the military ‘support’ given to Spike’s Deadliest Warrior. Unfortunately however, it seems as though Daly’s self-proclaimed status as a former member of the United States Army Special Forces has turned out to completely false.
The show, popular on Spike TV, is host to many former members of the armed forces including former Navy SEAL Richard “Mack” Machowicz. A successful run prompted the network to partner with Pipeworks Studios to create a game where players could choose to be various historically-based fighters from around the world.
“We heard about Robert Daly just like we do all our Special Forces/ Green Beret frauds,” Jeff Hinton, owner of ProfessionalSoldiers.com, told IndustryGamers. Hinton is a retired Master Sergeant of the United States Army, and a former member of the Special Forces, otherwise known as the Green Berets.
"The real Special Forces soldiers aka the 'Green Berets' take a very dim view when an individual uses our title and our reputation, a reputation we forged in blood, for personal or political gain."
“Mr. Daly said something in an interview to the fact he himself was a former member of the ‘Special Forces.’ We then began our research and found Mr. Daly had been representing himself as a former Green Beret. We then sent for Mr. Daly's military records via the Freedom of Information Act. We requested his records from the NPRC (National Personnel Records Center) and USASOC (United States Army Special Operations Command).”
According to Hinton, and seen across dozens of interviews posted to sites such as IGN and Spike’s own website, Daly repeatedly referred to himself as a member of the Green Berets.
Unfortunately for most gaming studios, the world of the special operational forces is a very close and quiet one, allowing many people to falsify claims without much fear of repercussion. Hinton reminds members of the gaming industry to think and verify before working with those who would pose as members of the armed forces. Those men making false claims seek only profit at the expense of lies and those that actually earned the title of the Green Beret, says Hinton.
“Pretending to be a Special Forces soldier lends credibility in certain industries such as security, counterterrorism, weapons instructors, etc. and in Mr. Daly's case the very lucrative entertainment industry,” cautions Hinton. “The real Special Forces soldiers aka the 'Green Berets' take a very dim view when an individual uses our title and our reputation, a reputation we forged in blood, for personal or political gain. In Mr. Daly's case it's quite evident he was using our reputation for financial gain.”
As for Daly’s records, “Robert Daly NPRC military records state he was some sort of imagery analyst. USASOC has absolutely no record of him in their system.”
UPDATE: Foundation 9, ProfessionalSoldiers.com issue their responses.
