Rockstar and IGDA releases official statements on unfair labor practices issue

Last week, Rockstar was in the center of a controversial post in Gamasutra, where it was alleged that the company had been giving unfair working conditions to their laborers. Now, Rockstar has responded to the issue, albeit indirectly, via a supposed internal email sent out by one “Justwanna makegames”. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has also released a statement regarding the issue.

Last week, Rockstar was in the center of a controversial post in Gamasutra, where it was alleged that the company had been giving unfair working conditions to their laborers. Now, Rockstar has responded to the issue, albeit indirectly, via a supposed internal email sent out by one “Justwanna makegames”. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) has also released a statement regarding the issue.

The internal email allegedly stemmed from the New York headquarters in New York. It read, “We take issues related to working conditions extremely seriously and will look to address any genuine concerns immediately.”

Furthermore:

“We do not agree with the allegations in the Gamesutra post (e.g.there has been no reduction in health benefits or ancilliary benefits and perks (such as free dinners and massages etc), wage increases across the studio have kept track with cost of living increases, and anyone who feels they have been overlooked for a bonus for a game they worked on please contact HR to discuss as soon as possible).”

The IGDA, meanwhile, has this to say about it:

“The IGDA finds the practice of undisclosed and constant overtime to be deceptive, exploitative, and ultimately harmful not only to developers but to their final product and the industry as a whole. While our research shows that many studios have found ways to preserve quality of life for their employees, unhealthy practices are still far too common in our industry.”

Among the allegations stated in the post would be that of Rockstar significantly reducing employee benefits, removal of vacation time, exemption of various employees from overtime pay, and repeated crunch periods with six-day 12-hour work weeks during the course of development for the games Midnight Club and the up and coming Red Dead Redemption.

Via [Gamasutra]