Activist organization Game Workers Unite has announced it is joining French union Solidaires Informatique to investigate developer Quantic Dream. This comes after reports of both sexual harassment and sexual assault towards female staffers. The organizations are looking for testimonies from both current and former employees.
The two organizations released a joint statement, in both English and French, calling on staffers to speak up:
We have been informed of acts of sexual harassment and sexual assault committed against women who work and have worked in the company.
These offenses are extremely serious and are punishable by law, however they seem to be repeated with impunity for several years because of a strong omerta, this must stop.
Those willing to speak up are encouraged to give their statements to contact@solidairesinformatique.org. Confidentiality and legal assistance are promised, if needed.
This is far from the first time allegations have been leveled against Quantic Dream. Back in 2018, reports of poor working conditions at the French developer surfaced, which the studio to denied on all counts. Later, the studio had sued a French publication over its reports on such conditions. The developer is best known for its PlayStation-exclusive titles Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit Become Human. While it was one of the most prolific developers for Sony’s systems, it recently received an investment from Chinese Company NetEase. As a result, Quantic Dream will begin making multiplatform titles, with the previously-mentioned titles releasing on PC.
As unfortunate as it is, more issues relating to toxic work environments in the video game industry are coming to light. Employees at League of Legend developer Riot Games recently staged a walkout to protest the company’s policy of forced arbitration. In recent months, horror stories have emerged from studios all across the industry, from NetherRealm to BioWare to the now-shuttered Telltale Games. Hopefully, as more people find the courage to speak up and take a stand, these issues will cease to exist.
[Source: Game Workers Unite]
