Chromatic Games, Florida’s ‘video game studio from hell,’ has changed

Chromatic Games is once Trendy Entertainment’s developer of Dungeon Defenses. This tower defense-game was created in 2010 by Chromatic Games. But it’s also been labeled the “video game studio from hell,” maligned as an allegedly sexist, dysfunctional studio where workers are constantly in fear of losing their jobs, according to a 2013 Kotaku report. Kotaku credited Jeremy Stieglitz as the original president for the allegedly sexisted and poorly managed workplace. However, he resigned in 2014, after being relegated from another division of the company. (Stieglitz, at the time of the 2013 investigation, declined to comment on the allegations, but said the studio is “focused on continuing to grow and develop a positive workplace despite these challenges.”)

The Dungeon Defenders studio was called Trendy Entertainment for some time, but in 2019, the studio rebranded as Chromatic Games — perhaps a way to leave its Trendy history behind. Augi Lye, cofounder of Trendy Entertainment purchased it from Insight Venture Partners in 2012. Trendy was bought for $18.2million by Insight Venture Partners. One former employee, who left the studio earlier this year, told Polygon in a recent interview that while Chromatic is not the same studio today that Kotaku had called a “studio from hell” in 2013, it’s still a studio that allegedly wears people down and takes advantage of new game developers eager to work in the industry. Another worker, whose first industry job was with Chromatic, said the studio left “the worst” impression on them about the industry and game development; they now feel distrustful of The majority game studios.

Image by Chromatic Games

Polygon spoke to 12 current and former employees, most of whom described a mismanaged game studio with a leader that four people described as a “man child.” These sources described a studio that they claim misleads employees on pay, raises, and bonuses and exploits new graduates who would do anything to make games. Things haven’t always been this bad over the years; four months after Kotaku’s exposé in 2013, workers said things had improved and that new management was trying. But many allege the culture changed once again when Lye took over in 2019, and Polygon’s sources for this story said it got worse this past year as he took a closer role in day-to-day management. Of course, that experience is reportedly not universal; following Polygon’s request for comment, Chromatic provided current staff this reporter’s email address to reach out and share a different perspective on the studio. Three more current employees reached out immediately; two of those employees later decided they no longer wanted to comment, and one provided a statement in which he described the workplace as “amazing” since the previous restructuring.

The studio employs a number of talented developers — people who, despite the chaotic environment, told Polygon they feel proud of a lot of material they’ve produced. In the last few months, eight or more workers have been terminated, and five others are looking to leave. Lye and his leadership apparently removed production from their development pipeline. This means that currently, all departments are set up to work according to a “flat” structure led by no one person individually. Traditionaly, the producer was responsible for managing production process and acting as a link between different departments. Polygon workers spoke out to say that removing producers has led to development. Continue reading chaotic, and it’s resulted in less development actually getting done.

When Polygon reached out to Chromatic Games, they released a statement by a PR agency in which the representative of Chromatic Games answered several questions. We’ve included the responses throughout the story.

“Chromatic Games has always strived to give everyone at every level the freedom to put forth new ideas and be rewarded for doing so,” the Chromatic representative said. “That includes employee feedback on ways we can continue to improve. The company will remain a place that honors our incredible team members. We wish all former team members the very best and hope they find fulfillment in and success in their careers.”

However, Guille Chumpitaz, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as Chromatic’s engagement director responsible for company culture, told Polygon that he blamed a former employee who was “really good at manipulating others” for creating Chromatic’s culture problems, not leadership. Chumpitaz said that, despite all the sources Polygon had spoken to, none of them were controlled by Chumpitaz.

Image by Chromatic Games

Chromatic Games is known for the Dungeon Defenders franchise, a tower-defense role-playing series, which sold more than “10 million units across all platforms” since the original game launched in 2010, according to the studio. This was the first game. Dungeon Defenders, was a surprise hit, and the studio’s been chasing that success with the franchise since. Chromatic continues to publish Dungeon Defenders titles, but only Dungeon Defenders. Dungeon Defenders 2, Dungeon Defenders: AwakenedPlease see the following: Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue. Dungeon Defenders: Awakened was the studio’s first project after Lye acquired the company; Chromatic raised $464,201 on Kickstarter to fund the game.

Lye has called Chromatic an “employee-owned” studio in various media interviews, despite being its sole owner according to public records. According to a profit sharing model, Chromatic employees are paid a share of revenues. However, workers told Polygon they’ve seen very little extra pay during their tenure, as subsequent Dungeon Defenders games failed to capture the success of the original title. The Chromatic representative stated that employees must stay on the job until the end to make any profit from the profit sharing model.

Chromatic Studios is located in Gainesville, Florida; its current office is near the University of Florida’s campus in a university-affiliated building called “The Hub.” It’s small, and two workers said it’s only got room for 10 of the company’s 30 or so workers. According to the Chromatic representative, the company plans to move to a new, larger office in the same building, beginning Nov. 1, with the intention to start a “hybrid model” in 2023 whereby employees work three days in the office and two days from home. However, both current and former employees told Polygon that they feel the return-to-office plan is unfair and confusing; though the official hybrid return-to-office plan doesn’t begin until January, some employees say they were asked to return earlier, despite the close quarters that make them uncomfortable. This allegation is supported by internal company communications. According to them, workers from the small office that is currently concerned about COVID-19 received a place in a smaller room without windows. Chromatic’s representative said an employee asked to work there due to safety and lighting concerns.

In response to Polygon’s inquiry regarding the office, Chumpitaz and Lye provided a filmed video showing the space. In that video, Lye described the space as “mucho grande” before adding that he “shouldn’t have said that.”

Several employees say they were hired with an expectation that they’d always be able to work from home. Some employees are allowed to remain remote while others are questioned. LinkedIn revealed that one of those employees claimed that they were fired after refusing to go back to work, despite having been hired with the understanding that they would be able to work remotely. One former employee claimed to Polygon that Lye had told certain workers that they’d “earned” a work-from-home exception, while others hadn’t. Chumpitaz said that Chromatic performance was down at least 50% since they were working at home. “We’ve seen performance reduction problems during the whole pandemic situation,” he said. The representative from Chromatic said that all employees who applied for permission to work remotely were granted.

Lye was said to have offered local apartment rentals to both workers living in the region and to those who wanted to relocate to Gainesville. Lye owns several properties, including a home he calls Hacker House, a “Victorian mansion” that was once used as a startup incubator, according to public records. Hacker House appears not to be currently active. Polygon has viewed internal messages in which Lye advertised his rentals, but he’s also allegedly made verbal offers to employees, too. Lye is the owner of these properties, and he has no connection to Chromatic. Four people claimed that Lye currently has at least one employee living in the apartment. These workers expressed concern over Lye’s involvement in the company and the properties, given the allegedly turbulent nature of the studio, and that, to many involved, it seems like Lye is looking to profit off some employees.

Day to day, crunch time isn’t nearly as bad as the “studio from hell” days, workers said, but with the allegedly unrealistic expectations, crunch is inevitable. One former employee said crunch was “very hard” leading up to a game’s launch, with stressful, late nights. This kind of crunch is common across all roles. Multiple employees suggested it was caused by poor leadership and a rotating door of talent. Crunch wasn’t explicitly required — one person described it as “passion hours.” To get the expected amount of work done during busy times, three people said nine-to-12-hour days were normal. According to one source, the idea was that workers would be recognized for their hard work. But despite those major efforts, a number of employees weren’t rewarded for that hard work like they’d thought: After the Dungeon Defenders: Awakened launch, at least five people said a “significant” amount of employees were let go, including the community manager. “The fact that we fired our community manager a few days after our game launch was unbelievable considering the state the game was in and how unhappy our players/customers were,” one person said.

Chumpitaz seemed to have confirmed the crunch for at least himself. Dungeon Defenders: AwakenedOn his Facebook Page. In a post, Chumpitaz said the Switch launch in August 2021 had “countless setbacks’’ with “2-hour sleep routines, a few of them at the work place.”

The Chromatic representative said the team “does not endorse crunch during development.”

Polygon spoke with employees who said that they were encouraged to work hard and offered bonuses for reaching certain milestones. One of these was the obtaining of the Dungeon Defenders: AwakenedLaunch on Nintendo Switch August 20, 2021. According to workers, they received thousands of dollars worth in bonuses after the Switch version was launched. They were delivered in small pieces and the rollout of these bonuses was sporadic. Eight individuals said that while some received their bonuses promptly, others were given pieces of money over multiple months, or even longer.

Chumpitaz denied that the bonuses were sent out in parts, saying that they were paid out in full for the whole staff on a rolling basis — some employees got their bonuses before others. A person claimed they didn’t receive this bonus as there were different milestones. A Chromatic representative, however, said that some “larger bonuses’’ were paid out over time. Polygon also reviewed internal documents in which HR described bonus payments as being made in chunks.

Chromatic Games may have struggled with taxes at this point. Chromatic placed a tax lien on its business from 2020 to 2022 until over $10,000 of unpaid taxes were paid. A Florida tax collector had asked for a warrant from the court to recover $2,000 from the studio. However, the amount was settled before that warrant was issued. According to public records, both cases appear to be over. Lye told Polygon he wasn’t aware of these cases.

Chromatic Games employs people who are new to video games, and often from college. Two former interns said that they were promised permanent employment. The studio’s location, literally on the University of Florida campus, is perfect for that. With no previous professional experience, these employees don’t have a baseline for what’s normal.

Some workers alleged that Chromatic exploited their industry naiveté, whether intentionally or not. Polygon talked to all workers who claimed Lye, and other management personnel would persuade them that Chromatic’s conditions are normal or even enjoyable. One worker described this experience as feeling like they were being “gaslit” by the company. It happened at both company parties and conventions.

When Chromatic brought employees to conventions to show off the studio’s various Dungeon Defenders games, workers claimed that Chromatic management booked beds in hostel spaces shared with strangers. Workers who spoke to Polygon were uncomfortable with the decision, and one employee said they were unaware they’d be sleeping in a shared space before heading off on the trip. Those who were aware of the hostel situation heading into the event were encouraged to accept it as a “fun, team-building activity.” Lye would assure workers that it was a totally normal thing and that everyone else was OK with it, five workers said. One worker alleged they had to stay in the hostel with a colleague they’d previously reported to HR.

Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Chumpitaz reiterated that workers staying in hostels is “something that happens a lot” in the video game industry. He added that he didn’t recall any instances where workers had to share rooms with strangers. The Chromatic representative denied the allegations and said employees “were never required to go on a work trip and stay in a hostel.”

There are ten Chromatic workers who were described as: Dungeon Defenders: AwakenedLye asked Chromatic’s female staff to dress up in a cosplay costume of the Huntress in order to launch early access in February 2020. The Huntress is a low-cut, green-colored character. Lye, a worker at the hostel said to female employees that they would enjoy it and everyone should do it. These workers claimed female employees weren’t forced to wear the outfits, but they also felt like they weren’t able to say no — again, they were assured that it was a normal thing for people at the company. Ten workers told Polygon that they weren’t aware of male employees being asked to dress up, but one employee said it may have been possible.

Multiple workers claimed they were requested to don the costume. Some declined, but others weren’t sure they could. Chromatic disputed this allegation, saying that “participation [was] always voluntary.”

Lye allegedly drank heavily during social events related to Chromatic. Lye would host parties in bars or at his house, where he reportedly drank heavily. This made several employees uncomfortable; though some workers described his behavior as “inappropriate,” no employee accused him of harassment during these events. Five employees reported incidents about Chumpitaz to Polygon. According to them, he touched at least two of their backs or shoulders. Chumpitaz was also reported by two employees.

Chumpitaz claimed he was once reported to HR for a situation he described as “tapping an intern on their shoulder” because they were wearing headphones. Chumpitaz denied that he was reported to HR any additional times. “It’s almost like they’re trying to make a bigger story than about what actually happened,” Chumpitaz said. “Whoever is bringing this up is trying to blow this out of proportion.” He added that he’s a “very friendly person” and that people in the office are used to him “shaking hands or hugging or whatnot.”

Multiple employees claimed that Chumpitaz had been reported to Human Resources, but they said that he never was disciplined. Instead, he moved into a new role that put him in charge of “creating a healthy atmosphere and company culture.” Several people alleged that the current HR representative is a friend of CEO Lye’s, which made them uncomfortable about submitting reports. A former employee laughed at questions about the studio’s HR structure.

Lye and Chumpitaz appear to also own a Gainesville beer and wine bar called Squire’s; though Lye is the only person listed as the business’ owner, Chumpitaz is called an “owner” on the bar’s Instagram. Together, they also host a Twitch stream called “Dev Juice,” where Lye and Chumpitaz talk about Dungeon Defenders, drink, and play music. Polygon talked to workers who were not comfortable with the stream being linked to the entire studio.

“As the studio director was fretting and tuning into the stream to see what things Augi would say next about the studio or our current work, Guille would be there right beside [Augi] often jamming away on a music instrument and matching Augi’s drinking,” one former employee said. “No real explanation was ever offered for the odd situation between the two but it was hard to avoid.”

The two former employees said that producers were frantic to make good on promises they made during Dev Juice streams. They teased a surprise when there was nothing to be shown, and the other employee described it as “teasing” a surprise. The Chromatic representative said that if an employee had said they were uncomfortable with the stream, they “would have addressed the matter swiftly and appropriately.”

Lye has been involved in two restructurings and development over the last few months. One former employee said that everything “crashed overnight” when Lye decided to step into development. Part of that change is the aforementioned removal of the production department, allegedly implemented to make the studio feel more “indie.” Instead, it has complicated development and holds up work, without a clear pathway for decision making. According to some reports, the studio let some staff members go while other workers left. The studio has limited production capacity, but employees are still expected and required to follow milestones. Studio continues to work. Dungeon Defenders: Going RogueThe album was released alongside an unannounced new project in March.

Chromatic Games, for its part, is no longer the “video game studio from hell,” but both current and former employees are worried about the impact it leaves on developers new to the industry. But as with any workplace, that experience doesn’t appear to be universal. One current employee who reached out prior to publication expressed similar sentiments as Chumpitaz: “Some of the people who left have said things that are just wrong it seems or twisted,” he said via email.

But for the majority of the current and former employees Polygon spoke to, Chromatic is a studio that’s been around for nearly 10 years, and it doesn’t have an excuse for what they allege is a mismanaged, unorganized structure and questionable HR department.