Gone Home Studio director takes a step back amid misconduct report

Fullbright, the indie developer behind beloved games like Gone Home and Tacoma, has announced that co-founder Steve Gaynor is stepping down from his day-to-day duties following employees documenting a series of issues with his driving.

Fullbright is currently developing a new game called Open Roads, a mother-daughter road trip game that will star Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever and is published by Annapurna. In a statement posted to the game’s account, it was confirmed that Gaynor is no longer the Creative Director or the lead of the project. He is now a writer, with the day-to-day management and creative director-type decisions for Open Roads that must be made by other team members.

This change happened earlier this year, and it now appears at the same time that Polygon posted a story featuring comments from 12 former employees who said Gaynor’s conduct was at least part of the reason why they left the company.

Some of those former employees told Playserver that the working environment at Fullbright felt “in control” under Gaynor’s leadership. “Staff members felt undermined and demeaned by Gaynor,” the report said. Those who spoke to the site said they had not experienced or seen sexual harassment or direct sexism. Instead, “the studio’s toxic culture has lurked behind the veneer of inclusiveness, as women have repeatedly been allegedly destroyed by micro-attacks,” according to the report.

In his own statement on Twitter, Gaynor said, “My leadership style was hurtful to the people who worked at Fullbright, and I really apologize.”

He added: “Taking a step back gave me space and perspective to see how my role needs to change and how I need to learn and improve as a member of a team, including working with a consultant. in expert management and rethinking my relationship with working at Fullbright. I care deeply about Open Roads and the Fullbright team. I am sad to have stepped back from the day-to-day development of Open Roads, but this was the right thing to do. The Open Roads team have all my faith and support as they bring the game to a close. “

Open Roads promises “classic road trip moods” and a “revolutionary art style” that includes hand-animated characters. “In Open Roads, players will experience the story of 16-year-old Tess Devine on a road trip with her mother, Opal, to find out what was left behind in reminiscent of time-forgotten places,” it read. in a line of the game. the description. “Together, they will explore a series of long-abandoned family properties, uncovering a much darker mystery than either of them imagined. The relationship between Opal and Tess has never been easy; in their research, they will discover not only the truth they sought, but each other. “

Open Roads has been announced for a 2021 console and PC release, but it remains to be seen if it will still launch on time.

This story comes to light as Activision Blizzard faces a state of California lawsuit alleging that Call of Duty and World of Warcraft has a “frat boy” culture that includes harassment of women.