This was going to be a big weekend for Rocksteady. After years of silence and rumors, the studio responsible for the incredibly successful Batman: Arkham games recently confirmed that it is currently working on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, with official details to come at the DC FanDome event.
However, the London-based studio is currently under fire following a report that it is guilty of failing to address and prevent sexism, sexual harassment, and otherwise inappropriate behavior. This news comes from a letter written in November 2018 which was sent to the Rocksteady bosses.
Signed by 10 of the then 16 women employees working for Rocksteady, the letter provided some examples of the behavior demonstrated at the studio, such as unwanted advances and leering, conversations between colleagues that talked about a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner, and slurs towards members of the transgender community.
This letter was only recently been made public,when one of the anonymous signatories approached The Guardian with it, as she felt that incidents such as these were still ongoing at the studio. She also claims that the studio's only response to the letter when it was first sent was an hour-long seminar that ultimately failed to address the problem, with many staff members opting to leave due to a lack of action.
"I have heard everything from groping claims to incidents involving directors, all of whom are men. Yet the only thing we had as a result was a company-wide seminar that lasted an hour. Everyone who attended was asked to sign a statement confirming that they’d received the training. It felt that it was a just way for them to cover their arses."
She adds that this behavior has bled into Rocksteady's work, specifically highlighting how the Arkham games depicted women characters such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy - "Sometimes you could see the surprise on their face when you said that’s not how women dress."
As for why she has decided to go public with this now, she cited the recent scandals at Ubisoft, which has spent the last couple of months dealing with accusations of sexual harassment of its own, resulting in the departure of several key employees. She further explained that her silence was partly because staff members who may have left the studio on bad terms could then be denied any credit for working on Suicide Squad.
"I think a good outcome [of publicising the letter] is basically showing the games industry in general [that] no matter how big your company is, how much you promote it as supportive of diversity, if you keep putting your head in the sand you will eventually be outed."
Rocksteady has since acknowledged that it had received complaints such as these in 2018 and insists that it took firm measures at the time and has continued to ensure that the company is an inclusive and safe space where its employees feel supported.
In related news, DC FanDome will also be where the next Batman game will be announced, which is believed to be called Gotham Knights and will feature the Court of Owls as the primary antagonists.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is currently in development.
Source: The Guardian