People Make Games is a YouTube channel dedicated to telling stories about video games and the people making them. Its latest project concerns indie games specifically, and the story of what the developers working at three specific - and established - indie game studios have gone through, describing some situations and managers as “very cruel.”
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While the majority of PMG’s sources have decided to stay anonymous, they all hail from Mountains, Fullbright, and Funomena, three recognized and acclaimed indie game studios responsible for the production and publishing of Florence, Gone Home, and Luna: Moondust Garden respectively. According to sources, studio heads at these companies have been exploitative and emotionally punishing, to the point where one of Mountains’ former employees - Tony Coculuzzi - attempted suicide.
According to Coculuzzi, he and the rest of the crew working at Mountains had been verbally and emotionally abused by indie game producer Ken Wong, who was already renowned for his work on Monument Valley. PMG’s investigation has revealed that Wong engages in toxic and controlling behavior. Sources say that Wong’s behavior was normalized by the introduction of a “safe word,” where the targeted employee could ask for a pause, and for the rest of the team to mediate the perceived slight.
A more misogynistic note was allegedly present at Fullbright, where female employees would leave the company due to Steve Gaynor’s behavior. Steve Gaynor ultimately stepped down due to abuse allegations, it’s worth pointing out. Funomena’s Robin Hunicke, on the other hand, is alleged to have used her employees’ personal information to humiliate them.
The entire People Make Games documentary is a somber, 40-minute reminder that the indie gaming industry is not insulated from issues that are pervasive in AAA game productions by any stretch of the imagination. Early in 2021, it was made public that the Scavengers Studio’s Creative Director was suspended due to allegations of abuse, and the problems brought up in that situation may ring a bell while watching the PMG’s documentary, as the issues are far more widespread than one might imagine.
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