My leadership style was hurtful to people that worked at Fullbright, and for that, I truly apologize. Earlier this year, I stepped back from my role as creative lead on Open Roads. I have a statement to share about my role at Fullbright. Gaynor has now addressed the allegations with the following note: Several developers even sought out the publisher for a more direct approach.Ī spokesperson for the studio told Polygon that Annapurna is "aware of the situation" and "has been instrumental in helping the Open Roads team make changes to its structure." Leading up to his shift within the company, employees made numerous attempts to make his behavior known, including sending digital post-it notes through the internal servers and during exit interviews. He shouldn’t be allowed to keep getting away with this.” More than anything, I just want him to stop. I want women to know that this is not normal. I want women to not have to fear retaliation from a powerful ‘auteur’ figure for speaking up. I want vulnerable young women who are new to the industry to be supported, not preyed upon. “I want women in the industry and this studio to feel valued. “It turns my stomach to think that he still gets to write these games about women’s stories when this is how he treats them in real life, with presumably no sign of stopping,” one former employee said. According to the timeline presented by the site, it didn't take long before Annapurna Interactive, publisher of Open Roads, stepped in when leadership noticed that most of the employees leaving were women. The report also details past instances where Gaynor was made aware of his reportedly toxic behaviors, even citing that he was warned about possible parallels between him and a report about Scavengers Studio's toxicity. Those who stepped forward said they wanted to come forward about his behavior but that they had "no actual process to do so." While there was sometimes a third-party consultant, there were no human resources employees working at Fullbright. Numerous former employees mentioned that women in leadership positions within Fullbright were overly micromanaged, made fun of, and mischaracterized whilst under Gaynor's leadership. Of the workplace allegations listed, those who spoke with the site mentioned that they never witnessed or experienced anything relating to sexual harassment or "blatant sexism." This detail is made clear amidst Activision Blizzard currently being sued by the state of California following sexual misconduct and labor abuse allegations. Some of his former employees have gone on to leave the gaming industry altogether, while others found work at different studios. Many of the stories have a controlling theme tying them together, alleging that Graynor adopted a "high school mean girl" attitude when it came to belittling, mocking, and dismissing his workers. The employees that came forward all wished to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation and backlash as they opened up about their reported experiences at Fullbright. Polygon goes on to note that the co-founder actually departed from his position earlier this year, in March 2021, once it "became clear" that the efforts put forth towards improving work relations were not effective long-term. More specifically, the former employees have come forward to say most of the alleged behavior that led to their departure has been directed towards women. 12 of those 15 spoke with Polygon, citing Gaynor's actions and behavior at work as the reason. In the report, the site began by stating that 15 developers that have been working on Open Roads since its development in 2019 have since left their positions within the studio. Immediately after the post went live, Polygon's report also became public, sharing a closer look at what led to the decision behind the shift. We're all excited by how the game is shaping up, and we hope you'll follow along as we continue to share our progress." "As such, Fullbright's co-founder Steve Gaynor has stepped back from his role as creative lead and manager and transitioned into a role as a writer, handing off day-to-day responsibilities to the team to complete Open Roads.
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