Mike “Grummz” Kern, a former World of Warcraft developer at Blizzard, is facing serious allegations of embezzling money from his crowdfunded game projects to create fetish-themed lesbian wrestling video games.
The accusations highlight a stark contrast between Kern’s public persona and private ventures. On social media, Kern has built a reputation as a vocal critic of “woke culture” in gaming, often lamenting the state of modern game development and its supposed moral decline.
According to the exposé, Kern allegedly diverted funds meant for his crowdfunded games toward developing adult content focused on lesbian wrestling fetishes.
More controversially, he reportedly registered these porn-related companies under his mother’s name, raising questions about potential tax fraud.
Kern’s gaming industry background includes significant early work on World of Warcraft during his time at Blizzard. He later founded Red 5 Studios and developed Firefall, a game that eventually failed after a troubled development period widely attributed to his mismanagement.
The Firefall project represents a pattern in Kern’s career—initial promise followed by disappointing execution. Industry insiders have noted that despite his early successes, his post-Blizzard ventures have struggled to deliver on their promises to fans and investors.
during grummz time at blizzard, red 5, and his time when he was supposed to be working on em8er and to 3 days ago, he’s living a second life
— Latina Catfights (@WesternKabuki) March 30, 2025
here are all the details with the archival evidence + more
timeline video: https://t.co/6at1B2Swve https://t.co/OgzlWRfeMT
The core of the current controversy isn’t just about the adult content itself but rather the alleged financial deception and hypocrisy. Kern has publicly positioned himself against adult content in games while reportedly creating exactly that type of material with money intended for different projects.
If substantiated, these allegations could have serious legal implications beyond damaging Kern’s already controversial reputation in the gaming industry. Embezzlement and potential tax fraud charges would likely end his ability to successfully crowdfund future projects.
The situation also casts a shadow over indie game crowdfunding more broadly, potentially making backers more hesitant to support projects without clear financial transparency and accountability measures.
