Wattam maker Funomena could soon close down

pcgamesinsider.biz:

The developer of Wattam, Funomena, might be shutting its doors in the near future. 

That's according to the studio, which wrote on Twitter that if it cannot land another round of funding, it would close in the not so distant future. 

"Funomena was in the process of closing an investment round just before GDC and we are still actively working to do so," the developer wrote.

"Last week we let everyone know that if we do not successfully finish the fund raise, we will be forced to close the studio.

"We love game development, we love making games and we love bringing people into the community. It is our sincere hope that we can continue to do so, together."

This follows People Make Games' Chris Bratt reporting that the studio would be closing by the end of March and that freelancers have already been laid off.

"I'm absolutely gutted to report that Funomena is set to be closed by the end of this month, with all contractors already having been laid off as of last Wednesday," he said.

"This is an extremely sad end to the studio's story and I hope everyone affected is able to land on their feet.

"This announcement has caught many employees by surprise, who now find themselves looking for other work, with their last paycheck coming this Friday."

This comes in the wake of a damning expose by People Make Games into the working culture at Funomena, particularly with regard to its co-founder Robin Hunicke (pictured). Former staff describe her as emotionally abusive and having little care for employee's personal information.

Following the report, Hunicke took to Twitter to apologise for her behaviour, describing leadership as a difficult journey.