Musician Grimes defended her billionaire ex-Elon Musk's gaming skills on Saturday following backlash from gaming influencers.
Newsweek has reached out to Musk's press team at X, formerly Twitter, via email for comment.
The Context
Grimes, a 36-year-old Canadian singer whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher, was in a relationship with Musk as the two share children X Æ A-XII, 4, Exa Dark Sideræl, 3, and Tau Techno Mechanicus, 2. Grimes and Musk, who were first romantically linked in 2018, confirmed their split in 2021—though they have since been in a contentious custody battle, each suing the other for the rights to care for their children.
While Musk, CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX, has become an ever-growing presence in U.S. and global politics, he has made gaming a large part of his online personality. Musk has repeatedly described himself as a prolific gamer and said he is one of the top-ranked players in the world at Diablo IV, a major title in the genre of action role-playing games. However, the billionaire's credibility has recently come into question among gaming influencers.
What To Know
Following recent backlash from gaming influencers who have questioned the billionaire's gaming skills, Grimes defended Musk's gaming skills in a Saturday post on X.
"Just for my personal pride, I would like to state that the father of my children was the first american druid in diablo to clear abattoir of zir and ended that season as best in the USA. He was also ranking in Polytopia, and beat Felix himself at the game. I did observe these things with my own eyes. There are other witnesses who can verify this. That is all," she wrote.
The backlash initially began on January 7 when Musk streamed himself playing Path of Exile 2 on X, the social media platform he owns, using an account that was ranked ninth in the world for the game's "hardcore" mode, its highest difficulty.
However, viewers quickly noted that Musk's behavior during the stream did not match that of an experienced player. The billionaire appeared unfamiliar with the game's core mechanics, such as mana and looting, and described his items as mediocre compared to his character's level, despite the items in question being considered among the best in the game.
In a video analyzing Musk's stream, New Zealand livestreamer and Path of Exile player Quin69TV said it was "unfathomable" that Musk would have been able to reach the account's level by playing how he did on the stream, as he would not have been able to collect the items that he already had.
Other top influencers agreed, highlighting the extensive time needed to reach the highest levels in the game, which appeared to clash with Musk's schedule.
What Are People Are Saying
Hasan Piker, a political livestreamer and frequent critic of Musk, said earlier this week: "He was so obviously cheating. We know he's not an incredible player. It's funny to me how bad he is. I wonder how much money he spent on this. He just wanted to show off and make it seem like he was a cool nerd."
MoistCr1tikal, an influencer also known as Charlie, said in a video analyzing Musk's stream on Monday: "This is so clownish. He doesn't understand how the game works. It's so false it's laughable ... He is beyond clueless, and from his gameplay, it seems like he doesn't even know how to play the game."
Elon Musk wrote on X in November: "So many life lessons to be learned from speedrunning video games on max difficulty. Teaches you to see the matrix, rather than simply exist in the matrix."
What Happens Next
While Musk has not commented on the allegations, the billionaire is set to play an important role in President-elect Donald Trump's new administration, which is due to return to office on Monday. Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy will lead Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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