UPDATE 30/3/22: Following reports of Funomena’s closure last night the studio has tweeted to say it’s still actively working on closing an investment round.
“Funomena was in the process of closing an investment round just before GDC, and we are still actively working to do so,” reads the tweet. “Last week we let everyone know that if we do not successfully finish the fundraise, 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.”
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.
— funomena (@funomena) March 29, 2022
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.
ORIGINAL STORY 29/3/22: Developer Funomena, which collaborated with Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi on 2020’s Wattam, is reportedly closing down following recent allegations of workplace abuse at the studio, all focussing on company boss Robin Hunicke.
Those allegations first came to light last week as part of an investigation by People Make Games into workplace abuses at three indie studios. In that report, People Make Games’ Chris Bratt spoken to Funomena staff who claimed Hunicke was emotionally abusive and often used sensitive personal information in a way that was humiliating or unprofessional, with some employees describing Hunicke as “the instigator of a huge amount of toxicity” at the studio.