Funomena, the developer of niche indie games such asWattam,Terra, andStickieshas recently found itself under fire due to allegations of mistreatment and abuse conducted by Robin Hunicke, one of its founders. Studio employees both current and former described Hunicke as “emotionally abusive,” and this information seems to have sunk the studio’s worth in the eyes of the investors.
As it were, Funomena may end up leaving the indie games development scene for good. According to the studio’s own admission, it was in the process of closing a round of investments before the recent GDC event, and may still have an opportunity to do so, should everything work out.
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In-depth information about the manner of mistreatment that went on at Funomena was shared as part of a recentvideo documentary describing several indie harassment incidents. The video itself was hosted by Chris Bratt of People Make Games, who also went on to report that Funomena would be closing down towards the end of the month. According to Bratt, all contractors had already been laid off, and permanent staff would be getting their final paycheck this Friday, though the studio’s official statement claims that the situation isn’t quite as damning after all.
According to Funomena’s announcement, the staff had already been warned that the studio would close down if fundraising failed, and it’s still possible that funding may yet be secured. Information shared by Bratt, however, suggested that the staff was caught by surprise and that things may already be set in stone by now, which is at odds with Funomena’s statements. In the meantime,Hyper Light DrifterandSolar Ashdeveloper, Heart Machine, has already reached out to staff leaving Funomena with hiring opportunities via Twitter.
No matter how the situation develops over the next couple of days, it’s clear that the damage is already done, and even the best-case scenario isn’t all that good for Funomena in the long run. Workplace harassment has been a long-standing issue in the video game industry, and even theEntertainment Software Agency issued a statement decrying abusefollowing last year’s Activision Blizzard revelations.
It may be important to keep in mind that bringing these allegations to light is a good thing in the long run, because people need to be aware of the fact that there is a problem, before steps can be taken to alleviate it. Key players are already taking action against instances of workplace harassment, such asParadox Interactive’s external allegation reportpublished earlier this year, which could lead to lasting positive changes in the grand scheme of things.
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