There's been a significant update from Frost of Rivia regarding his resignation from Second Wind. He announced that he'll be making a video with evidence against Nick Calandra, explaining why Calandra should not only be removed from Second Wind but also from the gaming industry entirely.
Nick Calandra, the former EIC of The Escapist and a self-professed fanboy of Kotaku's Alyssa Mercante, is known for spreading toxicity wherever he goes. We previously reported on Calandra's efforts to instigate social media campaigns to doxx former World of Warcraft developer Mark Kern and de-platform YouTube video game analyst SmashJT's website.
Now, two content creators have left the gaming media journalist outfit Second Wind Group due to Calandra's toxic behavior.
The first resignation came from Sebastian Ruiz (Frost of Rivia), who posted his resignation letter on X. In his letter, Ruiz detailed how Second Wind Group, under Calandra's leadership, had become a toxic corporate environment. He criticized Calandra for his incompetence, overspending, overpromising, and underdelivering, as well as for sabotaging attempts to address these issues. Ruiz stated that he had done everything in his power to address these problems for over six months and could no longer tolerate the behavior.
Shortly after Ruiz's resignation, another employee, Cisco Araneta, also confirmed that it was his last day at Second Wind Group. A screenshot of a message from Calandra emerged, in which he admitted that his toxic behavior had caused a downward spiral at Second Wind Group. He stated that he had been off for the last month as the team intervened and made it clear that he would be fired if he did not reign himself in.
The allegations made by Ruiz, including that Calandra is a "petulant wannabe CEO who overspends, overpromises, and underdelivers," echo the reasons given for Calandra's firing from The Escapist magazine. Given Calandra's history of stalking and spreading toxicity, it's not surprising to see his co-workers complaining about his behavior in the workplace.
In this video, I react to these updates and discuss whether Second Wind Group can survive this turmoil. Let me know in the comments what you think about Nick Calandra and his impact on Second Wind Group.
Frost of Rivia to Expose Nick Calandra’s Toxic Leadership at Second Wind!