Fullbright – the indie studio behind the critically acclaimed Gone Home – created complete confusion Thursday night, with the announcement that co-founder Steve Gaynor had resigned as head of the upcoming Open Roads game.
As many guessed, the announcement was an attempt to get a news story in advance. Soon a report came from Polygon, which reported an everyday life characterized by harassment, especially against female employees.
According to the report, Gaynor’s controlling leadership style and degrading attitudes towards employees have led to 15 people – at least 10 of them women – leaving the studio since 2019.
Those who have spoken to Polygon say that there was no talk of sexual harassment or obvious gender discrimination. Instead, Gaynor is said to have pursued targeted and repeated criticism, it is claimed.
Continues at the studio
In a statement to Polygon, Fullbright says that Gaynor resigned as head of Open Roads in March, when it became clear that attempts to improve his behavior had no lasting effect. The team also writes that publisher Annapurna Interactive stepped in in hopes of creating a better work culture at Fullbright.
– We are a small team that cares about creating inclusive, gripping and story-driven games that give the player a sense of discovery. We care deeply about creating games that have a positive impact. We also believe in fostering a healthy work culture, where we can work with openness and trust, Fullbright writes on Twitter.
While the developer has taken steps to limit Gaynor’s involvement, he has not been completely removed. Gaynor continues in the role of author at Open Roads, while the daily operations are distributed among other members of the team.
In a separate statement apologizes for Gaynor’s behavior. He says that he has learned from his mistakes, and promises to become better at working with others.
– I sincerely care about Open Roads and the Fullbright team. I’m sorry to withdraw from the daily development of Open Roads, but it was the right thing to do. The Open Roads team has my full trust and support as they complete the game.
Open Roads is scheduled to be launched sometime in 2021.
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