Gaming company Wyrmwood’s ‘dangerous’ culture outlined in new report

Luxury gaming table manufacturer Wyrmwood Gaming has been accused of creating a “dangerous” environment for its workers in a new report from technology website Gizmodo. Reporter Linda Codega spoke with around 50 current and former employees to uncover a what they describe as a culture of sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, and sexism — led by co-founder and CEO Doug Costella, who is at the forefront of several allegations.

Wyrmwood is a company based out of Taunton in Massachusetts. It’s known for high-end furniture and accessories, such as its modular gaming tables. Doug Costella and Ian Costella, the co-founders of Wyrmwood, launched it in 2012 through crowd funding. Wyrmwood has had a prolific history with crowdfunding since then; over the years, it funded 23 projects on Kickstarter, the last of which raised nearly $2 million for its “premier” modular table. Gizmodo said the company’s size more than doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wyrmwood was criticized by employees when sexual assault claims were posted on social networking earlier this year. Gizmodo investigated the claims and found a history of misconduct. Gizmodo described a 2019 incident during which Wyrmwood media’s chief Bobby Downey masturbated before a female employee. Workers also alleged that Downey had purposefully kept women off the company’s reality-style YouTube show, Wyrm Lyfe.

“According to sources, Downey’s excuses for not including more women include statements like ‘women aren’t as funny as men,’ and ‘the women at Wyrmwood are too awkward and aggressive to be on camera,’” Gizmodo wrote.

The report also alleged that women were rarely promoted and described a dangerous work environment where “an employee nearly burned their finger off on an allegedly defective machine.” The company has been fined multiple times by the United States’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration; four violations are reported on OSHA’s website.

Wyrmwood has not responded to Polygon’s request for comment. Gizmodo provides a comprehensive report.