Highlights

  • Firesprite faces accusations of toxicity and discrimination, with leadership changes following Sony's buyout being a key point of contention.
  • XDev leaders at Firesprite have been accused of fostering a culture of bullying and discrimination, leading to an exodus of talent.
  • Sony's reputation may take a hit as accusations of toxic behavior within Firesprite draw criticism and negative publicity.

Sony-owned developer Firesprite is being accused of toxicity and discrimination, while suffering from a significant loss of talent. News of these accusations follows Sony's massive job cuts earlier this week, which saw roughly 900 employees lose their jobs, including some working at Firesprite.

Firesprite worked on a few PlayStation exclusives, including LittleBigPlanet spin-off Run Sackboy Run, before being acquired by Sony in 2021. Now, the studio is best known for its VR titles, most notably Horizon Call of the Wild. Firesprite was caught up in a wider spending spree by Sony, during a period of significant growth for the gaming and tech giant. The Sony buyout resulted in major structural and leadership changes within the studio, which some employees have cited as reasons why the company's culture has taken a turn for the worse. At the same time, some employees on Glassdoor have argued in support of Sony's takeover, stating that it has helped the studio run more efficiently and effectively.

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Either way, it would seem that the culture at the ostensible up-and-comer Firesprite has some major issues, according to accusations from current and former employees. As reported by Eurogamer, leaders from XDev, a Sony support studio assigned to help lead Firesprite following the 2021 purchase, have allegedly been engaging in sex-based discrimination and ageism, although an internal investigation from Sony apparently determined that these claims stemmed from a "misunderstanding." Aside from these particularly severe accusations, XDev leadership has been accused of fostering a culture of bullying and fear, turning Firesprite into an unsympathetic and stress-inducing workplace. Notably, an "alarming" number of employees left Firesprite last year, following the payout of a retention bonus.

Accusations of Bullying and Discrimination Leveled Against XDev and Firesprite Leadershipsony-first-party-studios-firesprite

The past few weeks have been difficult for PlayStation, as Sony's stock has plummeted following adjusted sales projections and disappointing profit margins. Additionally, the company's reputation has taken a significant blow, with the mass layoffs across PlayStation studios drawing criticism from gamers and games media. Reports of toxic behavior coming from a PlayStation-owned studio, with most accusations seemingly blaming XDev and PlayStation by extension, will likely not help the barrage of negative publicity that the brand is currently weathering.

While these allegations have yet to be proven, certain details such as Firesprite's exodus of talent last year make them seem plausible, and there will no doubt be many who view Sony labeling the claims as "misunderstandings" to be dismissive, perhaps even motivated by a desire to avoid even more negative reactions from PlayStation fans. Eurogamer has reported that some knowledgeable employees have yet to speak out about these allegations, so time will tell how, or if, Firesprite's culture evolves.