![]() On Twitter, at least, Gaynor “was” Fullbright for quite some time: He held the Twitter account as his personal handle for more than a decade. But at the same time, former employees said they also felt stifled by Gaynor’s “controlling” and “demeaning presence” - someone who allegedly saw Open Roads not as the team’s game, but as his game. They took pride in creating games that resonated with marginalized people, like Gone Home, a coming-of-age story about a teenage lesbian. Former employees described the studio at that time as close-knit, with team members who supported each other. The number of core Fullbright employees remained under 20 at any given time. Following the success of these two games, Fullbright continued to grow, taking on more employees and contractors.įor the development of Open Roads, Fullbright partnered with Annapurna Interactive, which provided full funding and additional support staff. For the studio’s next game, 2017’s Tacoma, the number of staffers increased by more than double. Just four people - three of whom were co-founders of the company - created Gone Home, a BAFTA-winning narrative game released in 2013 that influenced the industry. The Open Roads team has my full faith and support as they bring the game to completion.įulbright has always been a small independent studio. I’m sad to have stepped back from day-to-day development of Open Roads, but it’s been the right thing to do. I care deeply about Open Roads and the Fullbright team. Stepping back has given me space and perspective to see how my role needs to change and how I need to learn and improve as part of a team, including working with an expert management consultant, and rethinking my relationship to the work at Fullbright. My leadership style was hurtful to people that worked at Fullbright, and for that I truly apologize. I have a statement to share about my role at Fullbright.Įarlier this year, I stepped back from my role as creative lead on Open Roads. Following the publication of this story, Gaynor issued a statement to Polygon: The representative also said that Annapurna Interactive, the game’s publisher, “is aware of the situation at Fullbright and has been instrumental in helping the Open Roads team make changes to its structure.” An Annapurna spokesperson told Polygon that the company supports the Open Roads team. “More drastic action was needed for the health of the team.” “Steve stepped down in March 2021 after it became clear that the steps that were already being taken to improve his interactions with the team were only yielding temporary results,” the representative said. OX11QJo6Qe- Open Roads August 5, 2021Ī Fullbright representative confirmed to Polygon that Gaynor stepped down in March due to the “pattern of women leaving” the company. ![]() These former employees said they did not experience or witness sexual harassment or explicit sexism instead, they said, the studio’s toxic culture hid behind the veneer of inclusivity, as women were allegedly repeatedly broken down by microaggressions. Because of Gaynor’s status as the co-founder of a beloved indie darling, some former employees said they were worried about being blacklisted from the industry - though some ended up leaving the industry entirely, anyway. ![]() Multiple former employees, who spoke with Polygon anonymously out of fear of retaliation, described the Fullbright work environment as “controlling,” a place in which staffers felt undermined and demeaned by Gaynor. At least 10 of the employees who left since Open Roads production began were women. Speaking with Polygon, 12 former employees said their departure was at least in part due to Gaynor’s behavior toward workers, specifically women on the team. Fifteen employees have left the studio since development on Open Roads began in 2019 around six staff members remain. ![]() Fullbright co-founder Steve Gaynor, known for his work on Gone Home and Tacoma, has stepped down from his role as creative lead on Open Roads following multiple allegations of mistreating Fullbright employees, particularly women.ĭevelopment on Open Roads, which was announced in December 2020 and expected to star Keri Russell ( The Americans) and Kaitlyn Dever ( Booksmart), is behind schedule. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |