Four High-Profile Developers Left Tempo Storm in the Last Six Months

Tempo Storm, a California-based esports organization, has experienced a significant exodus of senior development talent tasked with creating its upcoming card-based strategy game, The Bazaar. Between August and October 2022, three of the four high-profile industry veterans hired in 2021 to lead the project departed the company. These exits included Design Director Eric Flannum, Senior Game Designer Gregory Marques, and Senior Game Designer Stephen Dewhurst. Only Chief Operating Officer Erin Krell remains from the original group of four key hires.

The instability within the development team extended into early 2023 with the departure of veteran developer Troy Sheets, who was laid off in January after only one month of employment. These personnel changes coincide with a period of stalled progress for The Bazaar, which has seen a marked decrease in public updates, Twitch streams, and social media activity throughout 2022. While the organization has not publicly disclosed the reasons for these departures, external factors such as COVID-19 restrictions and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine—where some development partners are based—are cited as potential contributors to the project's delays.

Despite the loss of key leadership and the lack of consistent progress reports, there is no evidence that the project’s stagnation is linked to financial insolvency. The organization continues to target a release for The Bazaar in 2023, though the high turnover of experienced staff raises questions regarding the development trajectory of the title. This situation highlights the ongoing challenges esports organizations face when attempting to transition into game development, a sector where similar ventures have historically struggled to reach completion.