Ori Studio is accused of being an extremely “toxic” workplace

Founders behind Moon Studios, highly regarded developer Ori game on the Xbox platform, was criticized by its employees. Multiple employees have stated anonymously that both Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol have created an independent studio that is mean against the company and transparent on the surface, but is accused of triggering sexism, common bullying and racism.

Toxic workplace allegedly behind the scenes at Moon Studios

The exhibition lasts at VentureBeat allegations that Moon Studios is an extremely toxic workplace and reads like a summary of the bad reviews on GlassDoor. In fact, Moon Studios currently has a rating of 2.7/5 on Glassdoor, and many of the complaints there echo the sentiments in the work. The section claims that the main reason any developer stays – despite burnout, mental health issues, rudimentary culture, and extreme turnover rates – is because it’s hard to find. remote work in the industry and because Ori is loved by so many fans.

One of the main employee complaints was the unprofessional and insulting comments Mahler and Korol allegedly engaged in, flooding workplace conversations with hateful, disparaging comments. sexism and jokes about their penis size. Both founders were so busy trying to appear “opposing” and “politically incorrect” that any criticism of their “boys” behavior was rejected. considered too sensitive. As for the new Moon Studios game, some developers said they even had to ask Mahler to turn down a rape scene that would be the impetus for a revenge plot.

On multiple occasions, the two founders are said to have argued with each other for an hour during a meeting, with one developer saying the team had “wasted hours listening to Gennadiy and Thomas screaming like children.” . However, in front of the camera, the developers say that they always have a smile and act well.

The founders have also been accused of being aggressive in their reviews, openly shaming and micromanaging the work of their employees. This is especially evident when it comes to the art team, where workers describe the founder’s response as “pixel f**king”.

This led to many developers leaving. Even after the success of the first Ori title, hardly anyone from that team stayed a second time. Several developers say they suffered from severe burnout while going through PTSD, with one worker saying leaving Moon Studios was “the best decision I’ve made in a long time”.

Both founders spoke out in full in response to the criticism posed before them:

“We do not believe that the experiences suggested by your question are representative of the more than 80 members of the Moon Studios team that are growing and working wonderfully every day – nor do we believe they are representative for the experience of former members of our team…

[W]I appreciate the irony that we – an Austrian and an Israeli Jew – started this cross-cultural business… We made fun of ourselves about the difference in our backgrounds. — and there may have been times when our teasing each other came across as insensitive and might have made others feel uncomfortable.”

In other news, Hogwarts Legacy State of Play has revealed its Holiday 2022 release window, and Gran Turismo 7 is getting high marks on Metacritic.