|
Something might be going on with Fullbright. https://twitter.com/plante/status/1423076908451778561?s=20
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 10, 2024 13:28 |
|
|
HMS Beagle posted:Something might be going on with Fullbright. oh what the gently caress? Tone control was so good, why does Steve Gaynor have to suck?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:38
|
|
|
HMS Beagle posted:Something might be going on with Fullbright. what the gently caress kind of statement is this supposed to be, that's just pathetic Did he get metood? Did he steal a bunch of money? Is he dying? For gently caress's sake stop weaseling around and just say what's going on!
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:44
|
|
|
I feel like if it was something really dire he'd get booted completely? Sticking on as a writer implies that he's just, like, an rear end in a top hat or something, or a bad manager in an organizational or project management sense, and not outright abusive or hostile.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:47
|
|
|
That is a vague and confusing statement.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:47
|
|
|
Yeah that is a weird loving statement, I'm not even sure he did anything? They really should have dropped whatever explanation simultaneously.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:49
|
|
|
We care a lot about transparency and trust, which is why we're announcing that this guy is changing jobs because mumble mumble mumble. Play our game. Thank you
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:55
|
|
|
edit: On second thought probably better not to amplify it just to poo poo-talk him.
Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:58
|
|
|
https://www.polygon.com/22610490/fullbright-steve-gaynor-controversy-stepped-down-open-roadsquote: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. Because of Gaynor’s status as the co-founder of a beloved indie darling, some former employees say they were worried about being blacklisted from the industry — though some ended up leaving the industry entirely, anyway. 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. Well then. This sounds bad. The article states that Gaynor stepped down in March. Oh, also: quote:Fifteen employees left the studio since development on Open Roads began in 2019; around six staff members remain. ErrEff fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 01:59
|
|
|
edit: kaboom
Podima fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:05
|
|
|
Edit: Nope
Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:11
|
|
|
OK, the article explains the reasoning for Gaynor being switched from creative lead/manager to a writing role, and what that means:quote:Although Gaynor is no longer a creative lead on Open Roads, he is still working on the game as a writer. He currently has no day-to-day collaboration with the rest of the team. Instead, Annapurna Interactive is operating as a mediator between the studio developers and Gaynor, as development continues with a fraction of the company. Multiple former employees expressed concern that Gaynor was even operating in this capacity — that it was weird for a man to be writing a story about a mother and daughter, particularly a man that has allegedly demeaned several female employees. Annapurna is the publisher and they apparently weren’t comfortable with him leaving entirely as then they might as well cancel the game. So instead he was shuffled into a writing role where he is isolated from the rest of the team, since March.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:16
|
|
|
Hey, Podima can you edit out your quote, please? It's probably for the best if I don't amplify his abusive poo poo especially when it isn't getting any traction and we can circle back around if it goes anywhere. My bad. Hub Cat fucked around with this message at 02:45 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:21
|
|
|
If they're down to 6 members of a 21 person team they SHOULD just cancel it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:21
|
|
|
ErrEff posted:OK, the article explains the reasoning for Gaynor being switched from creative lead/manager to a writing role, and what that means: Love 2 write a game about the importance of unionizing as I am repeatedly screamed at by my boss to write it faster.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:24
|
|
|
if it's been that way since march and there were 6 people left on the team, my gut says "the remaining people really wanted to do their passion project that they came on to do and keeping the founder in a box under the office floorboards was the compromise to the founder taking his IP and walking away with it" but it'll be interesting to see if any current employees speak up now that it's out in the open
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:31
|
|
|
ErrEff posted:https://www.polygon.com/22610490/fullbright-steve-gaynor-controversy-stepped-down-open-roads aw gently caress no, goddammit, this sucks. I loved Gone Home and Tacoma, and was really looking forward to Open Roads
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:31
|
|
|
Hub Cat posted:Hey, Podima can you edit out your quote, please? It's probably for the best if I don't amplify his abusive poo poo especially if it isn't getting any traction and we can circle back around if it goes anywhere. Can do!
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:45
|
|
|
Zaphod42 posted:If they're down to 6 members of a 21 person team they SHOULD just cancel it. They shouldn’t. Canceling here only pushes devs who might have these concerns where they work further into the dark. If this was a AAA studio it would probably be done but this is an opportunity for Annapurna to really make a stand for actual change. They likely have to keep him attached to remove the possibility of him taking it with him out of spite but finishing this, launching him into the sun and installing someone who has actual leadership skills in that leadership position would go a long way to proving to workers, especially women, that they don’t have to put up with guys like this.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:46
|
|
|
There's a quote in the article from an employee who literally raised that very concern -- they were worried about working on the game because they didn't want it to get cancelled if a story like this came to light. It would be a real shame if that came true.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:48
|
|
|
DC Murderverse posted:They shouldn’t. Canceling here only pushes devs who might have these concerns where they work further into the dark. If this was a AAA studio it would probably be done but this is an opportunity for Annapurna to really make a stand for actual change. They likely have to keep him attached to remove the possibility of him taking it with him out of spite but finishing this, launching him into the sun and installing someone who has actual leadership skills in that leadership position would go a long way to proving to workers, especially women, that they don’t have to put up with guys like this. Yeah but when 16 people have already left you're actually long past that point.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 02:56
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/SteveGaynorPDX/status/1423094322396762113Steve Gaynor posted:Hi all. I have a statement to share about my role at Fullbright.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:13
|
|
|
"leadership style" is sure a way to put "pattern of behavior that drove out enough women from the company that annapurna literally had to step in", but okay
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:33
|
|
|
Weird he wasn't able to make this statement *checks notes* 5 months ago when it happened. Almost like there's a rush panic to try and get ahead of something. I'd put money down on him/the company being contacted by some press people asking for interviews/quotes/comments about the working conditions and they're super worried someone is getting ready to publish a take down.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:38
|
|
|
Did you miss the article that was posted? He's not getting ahead of anything.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:41
|
|
|
Maybe, but it still feels like a "Sorry I got caught" apology. Not a sex pest, but a bully and a jerk that probably should not have been in the position to manage people in the first place
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:46
|
|
|
pentyne posted:I'd put money down on him/the company being contacted by some press people asking for interviews/quotes/comments about the working conditions and they're super worried someone is getting ready to publish a take down. Polygon published an article speaking to employees, chief.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 03:47
|
|
|
Yeah, forgot to put it in past tense when I wrote it. Unless the displayed timezones are different, it looks like the Open Roads tweet and Gaynor's tweet went up only a few hours before the story was published. I assume everything said in both tweets was crafted by a PR team given the typical "we apologize that people are upset" tone.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 04:05
|
|
|
To be honest, I'm raising my eyebrow at the way Annapurna has handled this. Obviously, they can't force Gaynor to step down, but the idea that somehow... him still being an important writer but siloed off and with a mediator from the publisher is some kind of solution is... wild. Unrelated, but Chris Avellone's lawyer quagmire evolves a little more with a reply memorandum filed by the defendant's lawyers: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YIBjohhSeGjuc4d8a-pzw-wR7fWrCevE/view
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 08:37
|
|
|
Oh man I was really looking forward to Open Roads. Truly I just wanted Keri Russell to be my mom.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 08:53
|
|
|
Steve Gaynor isn't ever getting replaced or fired from his own company. They're not owned by Annapurna, they're just a publisher. There's nobody to force him to do anything.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 08:58
|
|
|
The only thing I know about Gaynor is his cyberpunk/80s mood blog rekall.me (nsfw) which I browse through frequently. Sucks that he’s a big jerk but yeah no one can fire the guy aside from him firing himself. Also seeing people shocked that the rot is in the indie scene as well. just because someone makes a game that’s all about inclusivity and that kind of thing doesn’t mean they’re automatically a good person.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 13:28
|
|
|
Akuma posted:Steve Gaynor isn't ever getting replaced or fired from his own company. They're not owned by Annapurna, they're just a publisher. There's nobody to force him to do anything. Yes, the other two co-founders are gone now. He does as he pleases. Johnnemann Nordhagen left shortly after Gone Home was finished. I don’t know when Karla Zimonja left the company but… (1) The TGA announcement and Annapurna’s own press release only has a small quote attributed to Steve, nothing from Karla (2) Karla Zimonja retweeted the December announcement of the game but said nothing else as far as I can tell (3) This Washington Post “making of” article from February only spoke to Steve for details on the game, some staff is named but no mention of Karla (4) Karla just announced a new studio she’s founding like a week ago, again with Annapurna as a publisher: Ivy Road Here, feast your eyes on this nugget of gold from the WaPo article: quote:Gaynor calls the work of his development team “collaborative” — art director Megan Carlsen, for example, helped guide the direction of the game’s narrative, giving insight from her teenage years. Gaynor’s own writing partner is his wife, Rachel Jacks, who drew on her experiences as a daughter and as a new mother. ErrEff fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Aug 5, 2021 |
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 15:43
|
|
|
ErrEff posted:
Karla from Gone Home, the guy who made Stanley Parable, and the composer for Minecraft? 
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 16:14
|
|
|
https://twitter.com/GenePark/status/1423381828505907202
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 22:02
|
|
|
loving hell, imagine being too evil for Coca-Cola.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 22:06
|
|
|
I don’t think much will happen on the Coca-Cola side… https://www.coca-colacompany.com/company/leadership/bobby-kotick
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 22:14
|
|
|
ErrEff posted:I don’t think much will happen on the Coca-Cola side…  Breaking News: Citing moral concerns, Bobby Kotick severs relationship with Bobby Kotick
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2021 23:14
|
|
|
ErrEff posted:I don’t think much will happen on the Coca-Cola side… aka why they're "reassessing", which is to say "doing nothing and waiting to see if it blows over in a way where nobody calls for boycotts" I'd say I'm surprised T-Mobile bailed as fast as they did but the jaded part of me suspects they were just looking for an excuse to and ran with it when one presented itself, and T-Mobile excusing themselves is probably the only reason this is news in the first place, I don't think "OWL sponsors" were on anyone's radar wrt all this
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2021 01:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 10, 2024 13:28 |
|
|
The deep dive on Activision-Blizzard: https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1423660406644649985 At this point, very little of it is surprising, but jesus christ.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2021 16:43
|
|
