Luxury gaming table manufacturer Wyrmwood Gaming has been accused of creating a “dangerous” environment for its employees a new report from technology website Gizmodo. Reporter Linda Codega spoke to about 50 current and former employees to uncover a culture of sexual harassment, workplace misconduct and sexism led by co-founder and CEO Doug Costella, who has been at the forefront of several allegations.
Wyrmwood, based in Taunton, Massachusetts, is known for its high-quality gaming accessories and furniture, such as its modular gaming tables. Co-founders Doug and Ian Costella founded the company in 2012 and successfully funded the wooden dice cases. Wyrmwood has had a prolific crowdfunding history ever since; over the years, it funded 23 projects on Kickstarter, the the latter of which increased nearly $2 million for its “top-of-the-line” modular table. Gizmodo said the company’s size has more than doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wyrmwood came under fire from employees earlier this year when allegations of sexual assault surfaced on social media. When Gizmodo began investigating those claims, the publication discovered an extensive history of allegations of wrongdoing. Gizmodo described an incident in 2019 where Wyrmwood media executive Bobby Downey allegedly masturbated in front of a female employee. Employees also alleged that Downey purposely kept women away from the company’s reality-style YouTube show, Wyrm Lyfe.
“According to sources, Downey’s excuses for not including more women include statements such as ‘women aren’t as funny as men’ and ‘the women in Wyrmwood are too clumsy and aggressive to get on camera,'” Gizmodo wrote.
The report also claimed that women were rarely promoted and described a dangerous work environment in which “an employee nearly burned his finger off on a supposedly faulty machine”. The company has been fined several times by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration; four violations are reported on the OSHA website.
Wyrmwood did not respond to Polygon’s request for comment. You can use the comprehensive report on Gizmodo.