In recent times there have been various cases of toxic culture, discrimination, harassment and abuse in different video game companies. Activision Blizzard’s situation is the most recent of all, although others like Ubisoft have also been the subject of controversy.

Now, as Polygon reveals , Steve Gaynor, co-founder of Fullbright , has resigned from his position as Creative Lead for Open Roads following various accusations of toxic environment on his part against the studio staff. Among his most relevant works we find Gone Home and Tacoma .

The outlet contacted up to 12 former team employees and reported that their departure was due, in part, to Gaynor’s behavior towards his colleagues, especially women . It should be noted that fifteen people have left the original development group since 2019 and there are currently only six left.

Among the employee testimonials we found descriptions of a “controlling” environment at Fullbright , as the staff felt degraded by Gaynor. Because of this, there were several who feared being included in an industry blacklist, causing them future problems. Although there is talk of a toxic environment, it is pointed out by these former employees that they did not witness or experience any type of abuse or sexual harassment.

A Fullbright spokesperson confirmed to Polygon that Gaynor was being relieved due to the continued march of women from the company . “More drastic actions were needed for the health of the team,” says the representative. On the other hand, Open Roads is under the umbrella of Annapurna Interactive, a publisher that is aware of what happened and that “has been essential to (…) make changes to the structure.” Gaynor has shared a statement through his Twitter account (full text after the tweet).

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Hello everyone. I have a statement to share about my role at Fullbright.

Earlier this year, I stepped down from my role as Creative Leader at Open Roads . My leadership style was hurtful to the people who worked at Fullbright, and I really apologize for that.

Taking a step back has given me space and perspective to see how my role should change and how I should learn and improve as part of a team, including working with an expert management consultant and rethinking my relationship with working at Fullbright.

I care deeply for Open Roads and the Fullbright team. It saddens me to have taken a step back in the day-to-day development of Open Roads , but it was the right thing to do. The Open Roads team has my full faith and support as they complete the game.

Right now, Gaynor is no longer the creative lead for Open Roads , although he continues to work on the project as a writer . He does not maintain a daily relationship with the rest of the team, as stated in his statement, so Annapurna acts as a mediator between both parties. Gone Home and Tacoma Developer Steve Gaynor Leaves Fullbright Following Toxic Environment Allegations Against Employees