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Tenderloin Night Shift was a free, browser-based multiplayer first-person shooter set in recognizable parts of San Francisco’s Tenderloin. Players shot zombie-like enemies around real intersections, transit signs, scooters, Waymo vehicles and fictional advertising. The project became controversial because critics saw its enemies—including a Black security guard and a hunched character called “the Folded”—as caricatures of unhoused residents and people affected by addiction. Its creator, Pierre-Louis Biojout, removed the game and its promotional posts on October 16, 2026, refunded advertisers and said he donated the game’s reported revenue to Delancey Street recovery services.
What was Tenderloin Night Shift?
Tenderloin Night Shift was a multiplayer shooter that used a real San Francisco neighborhood as its play space rather than an invented city. Biojout, founder of the AI startup NanoCorp, presented it as a browser game in which players fought zombie-like opponents, collected points and unlocked weapon upgrades.
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The map reproduced recognizable local details, including the Eddy and Jones intersection, transit signage, scooters, Waymo vehicles, AI billboards and an apartment advertisement using the name “Tendernob.” Biojout promoted the project with the line: “San Francisco couldn’t fix the Tenderloin. So I monetized it Call of Duty style zombie shooter on the real SF streets. Multiplayer, in your browser.”
The game was free to play. Its business model instead placed advertising inside the fictionalized neighborhood, turning billboards and other in-game locations into paid inventory.
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Why did the San Francisco zombie game become controversial?
Critics argued that the setting and enemy designs transformed a real, economically distressed community into a shooting gallery. The concern was not simply that the game contained zombies; it was that recognizable people and conditions associated with the Tenderloin appeared to be represented as targets.
Characters critics viewed as references to real residents
The enemy roster included a Black security guard. Another enemy, called “the Folded,” appeared in a hunched posture that critics connected to the “fentanyl fold,” a term commonly associated with opioid use. Those choices led opponents to say the game made unhoused people and people struggling with addiction look monstrous.
San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said, “Turning violence against real people, including unhoused people, into entertainment is dehumanizing and should never be normalized.” City Attorney’s Office spokesperson Jen Kwart said the project was “not an accurate depiction of the thousands of hardworking families who call the Tenderloin home” and that glorifying violence against neighbors would not improve conditions there.
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Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, described the project as monetizing “the dehumanization and pretend killing for fun of mostly Black and Brown residents of the poorest neighborhood in San Francisco.” Former Tenderloin Supervisor Dean Preston characterized the premise as “vigilantism involving killing poor people.”
Was the game explicitly about shooting homeless people?
That description reflects the interpretation of critics, not an admitted design brief from Biojout. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that the game was not intended to depict shooting real people and that its characters drew on a broad cross-section of San Francisco, including technology workers. He said the concept was inspired by an Alcatraz level in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Intent did not settle the dispute. Critics focused on the combination of a real, identifiable neighborhood; enemy imagery that they believed evoked vulnerable residents; and advertising built into that setting. The disagreement therefore concerned both what Biojout meant and what the finished game communicated.
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How was Tenderloin Night Shift monetized?
Reported figures show why advertising was central to the backlash. The following amounts and engagement numbers were reported in 2026 and were not presented as an independent audit:
| Item | Reported figure | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Ad sales | At least $300 | Figure attributed to Pierre-Louis Biojout |
| Digital billboard placement | From $100 per week | Rate reported by the San Francisco Chronicle |
| Sponsor-blimp placement | $3,200 per week | Rate reported by the San Francisco Chronicle |
| Promotional X post | Nearly 500,000 views, roughly 1.5 million likes and more than 300 comments | Engagement figures reported by the Chronicle, not independently audited |
Advocates said this arrangement converted visible hardship into advertising space. Biojout later said he refunded advertisers and donated an amount equal to the game’s total revenue to Delancey Street treatment and recovery services.
Who created the game and what did he do after the backlash?
Biojout was the project’s creator and publicly promoted it. After criticism spread, he acknowledged that “the setting and the way I promoted it showed poor judgment.” He said targeting people struggling with addiction or homelessness had never been his intention.
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He then removed the game and promotional posts, refunded advertisers and announced the donation to Delancey Street. Dexerto also reported the takedown, refunds and a reported total of about $300 in revenue.
Is Tenderloin Night Shift still available?
No. The game was removed on October 16, 2026, and the promotional material was taken down. There is no established physical edition, official merchandise line or verified retail listing for the project.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did the project break the law?
That remained unresolved in the reporting available at the time of its removal. A spokesperson for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office could not immediately say whether the project violated any laws. Public condemnation and possible legal liability are separate questions, so the game should not be described as having been found illegal.
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Why this incident matters for games using real places
Tenderloin Night Shift illustrates a specific risk for location-based games: realism can make a fictional enemy feel like a depiction of an actual group. The controversy intensified because the project used identifiable local landmarks, represented people critics considered vulnerable, sold advertising within the setting and was promoted with language that framed the neighborhood itself as something to monetize.
For creators, the practical questions are whether a real community is turned into an enemy faction, whether local details make residents identifiable, whether the project earns money from that depiction, how affected communities are consulted and what happens when criticism emerges. Those factors can shape public response even when a creator says the characters are fictional.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone play Tenderloin Night Shift now?
No. The browser game and its promotional posts were removed on October 16, 2026. Reports do not establish a sanctioned mirror or later relaunch.
Was Tenderloin Night Shift sold as a commercial game?
It was presented as free to play rather than as a paid download or boxed release. The documented commercial element was advertising placed inside the game world.
What was the “fentanyl fold” reference?
The phrase describes a hunched posture associated in public discussion with opioid use. Critics read the game’s “Folded” enemy as invoking that image, while the creator rejected an intention to target people affected by addiction.
Where did the creator say the idea came from?
Biojout cited an Alcatraz level from Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 as the game’s inspiration. That reference explains the setting concept but does not establish that the two games shared a developer, publisher or story.
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