Ori and the Blind Forest developer accused of mismanagement
The founders of Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios have been accused of toxic behaviour and mismanagement.
A Venturebeat report into the Vienna-based company includes various details on Moon Studios founders Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol, who it is claimed fostered a work environment where anyone could speak their mind without fear of reprisal.
But this approach led to the founders insulting each other and their staff on several occasions, the report alleges. One example — feedback from both men on an internal report — included the comments «nobody cares what you think really» and «lol, you're retarded».
The subject matter in Moon Studios' next project has also sparked staff concern. In development under the working title Forsaken, the game's main character initially would have been a survivor of rape.
Maher, Venturebeat wrote, had pushed for this to be the character's origin story to create motivation for them becoming a «badass» later on. Maher eventually backed down after «weeks of arguments».
Mahler and Korol have since responded to the report — their comments lie below. The pair also held a meeting with staff prior to its publication, where they said the following:
«Whether or not that was a good idea, well that is beside the point,» Korol reportedly told colleagues. «But obviously trying to paint the narrative that there is a deeper bad thing going on. It's a bit of an unfair thing, to be frank. The way this article will characterise things might be unfair. That doesn't mean we are perfect. It doesn't mean we cannot improve or should not improve.»
Moon Studios issued the following statement to Venturebeat, reproduced here in full:
«We don't believe the experiences suggested by your questions are
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