Fullbright's co-founder Steve Gaynor has stepped down from his position as creative lead on Open Roads following accusations he created a toxic work environment.
Fullbright, the studio behind Gone Home and Tacoma, has revealed that its co-founder Steve Gaynor has stepped back from his role as creative lead and manager on upcoming title, Open Roads. An official statement was issued revealing the news via Open Roads' Twitter account before Polygon published a report elaborating on what appear to be the reasons behind the change in role for Gaynor.
“Steve Gaynor has stepped back from his role as creative lead and manager, and transitioned to a role as a writer, handing off day-to-day responsibilities to the team to complete Open Roads,” the statement reads. Polygon's report, which was published shortly after Fullbright's statement, reveals that the change appears to have been brought about by allegations suggesting Gaynor fostered a toxic work environment at the studio.
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Polygon spoke with 12 former Fullbright employees, all of whom said their departure from the company was partly due to Gaynor and the way he allegedly treated staff. The employees, who wished to remain anonymous over fear of backlash, claim they were undermined and demeaned by Gaynor. While there were no reports of sexual harassment, female staff reported that male employees were given preferential treatment by Gaynor, while women themselves were constantly micromanaged.
Gaynor himself has since issued a statement regarding his role change, admitting that his "leadership style" is the reason behind him stepping down. “I stepped back from my role as creative lead on Open Roads. My leadership style was hurtful to people that worked at Fullbright, and for that I truly apologize,” Gaynor's statement reads. He also notes that this isn't a new development – the role change apparently happened back in March.
Gaynor closes by saying, “I’m sad to have stepped back from day-to-day development of Open Roads, but it’s been the right thing to do. The Open Roads team has my full faith and support as they bring the game to completion.” Open Roads is the third game from Fullbright with its team growing with each passing title – it's the first game from the studio to be published by indie powerhouse Annapurna Interactive. However, 15 staff members have left the studio since development on the new game began.
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