The mobile game based on ITV show Love Island has been delayed indefinitely after accusations of sexist content and a toxic work environment at the app’s developer.

       Dozens of staff at Fusebox Games, which makes Love Island: The Game in collaboration with the broadcaster, were told they faced losing their jobs weeks after raising concerns about the treatment of LGBT+ characters in another of the company’s games.

       Love Island: The Game, which has been run by Fusebox since June 2018 with the launch of the first season of the game, involves short, playable narratives in which users play a fictional character and chat with other contestants on the island. Players choose between pre-set responses that could be “flirty, mischievous, sweet, or sassy”, according to the game’s description, to continue through a choose-your-own-adventure style storyline in a similar style to the main reality show.

       But, while the latest series began on ITV in June, the game’s launch has been delayed from its initial launch date at the end of July following concerns from some Fusebox staff over the content of its games and how their complaints were handled.

       These concerns came to a head with the development of content for “Matchmaker: Puzzles and Stories”, another mobile app where players can engage in “dream love stories and adventures” interspliced with match-three puzzle games that featured Love Island content.

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       On Matchmaker, a game that combines “love stories and adventure” with puzzles, a third-party company wrote a storyline in which the user, playing a divorced female character, meets a “handsome” man who is “maybe too young” but engages the player in conversation.

       The male character takes the player’s phone without their consent, takes the player’s drink without their consent and refuses to return it unless they kiss him (the game gives no option to avoid kissing), and fetishizes bisexual experiences described by the player’s character.

       ‘A conversation in Fusebox Games’ Matchmaker app, in which the character pretends they are bisexual to seem ‘more interesting’

       (Fusebox Games)

       The storyline caused great distress among a number of Fusebox’s staff, many of whom are part of the LGBT+ community, employees told The Independent. They said they had been told their concerns were taken on board and the storyline would be removed, only for it then to be available on an international version of the game.

       An open letter sent 24 May and signed by 31 members of Fusebox staff, warned of “problematic content” on Matchmaker: Puzzles and Stories despite issues being raised with bosses, while they described the decisions of management as “destructive” to their teams and fostering “confusion, worry and fear, and … risk of burnout”.

       “This is what upsets me, and just made me cry”, one employee told The Independent. “I feel so used and hurt, I feel like I put so much love and effort into something and I’m not getting the bare minimum of respect as a worker [that] I should deserve”.

       Fusebox Games’ website currently says it believes in “writing inclusive stories that reflect the diversity of our players.” Employees told The Independent that it felt like Fusebox Games was being “performative” with those principles – espousing positivity towards the LGBT+ community while ignoring the concerns of its LGBT+ employees.

       In a statement to The Independent, Fusebox says that the content and narrative of its games are “naturally a subjective area, as with many creative forms of entertainment” and that its “games reflect the stories that are often shared in the reality shows that we work with, and as such, delivering content enjoyed by players of the game, and fans of the show alike.”

       It also said that it was “saddened by the personal impact our restructure had on team members affected” but that it was “the right decision for the long term success of the business”.

       Sources say that a meeting to resolve the situation with Paul Virapen, the chief operating officer at Fusebox, led to at least four complaints being submitted to the company’s HR team, with one member of staff complaining that he had been “evasive and defensive”. Mr Virapen allegedly refused to answer questions put to him and displayed patronising and disrespectful behaviour before abruptly leaving the meeting – shutting his laptop while the meeting was ongoing, one employee described. Mr Virapen did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent.

       Fusebox Games said that it “welcome[s] feedback and collaboration within [its] team” and that it asks “team members take a holistic approach to their work, thinking about the whole team and the end player, rather than solely an individual’s perspective or preferences” to facilitate “an open and positive working environment, where all viewpoints are valued and considered, supporting inclusivity.”

       It added that any issues are dealt with “at the highest levels of professionalism, in line with our own high ethical standards and legal guidelines”.

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       Sources say that three weeks after the open letter was delivered a number of workers, including every signatory of the open letter, were informed that their job was at risk, as the company was suffering financial problems. They also say they were also told that the game was moving to “sunset mode” – a euphemism for the game being indefinitely delayed and unlikely to be released at all – just as the television series was beginning on ITV, which employees say would usually lead to a sharp rise in revenue.

       ITV told The Independent that it did not “require a specific launch date” for the Matchmaker game. Fusebox said that the latest season of Love Island: The Game is “currently in development to ensure it meets the high standards of the previous seasons” and will be released towards the end of the year.