Batman Dev Rocksteady Outer For Harassment Inaction

Warning: The following article contains mild descriptions of workplace harassment. Reader’s discretion is advised.

As a kid, you didn’t think of the places or the conditions games are made under. Much like when you’re an adult and it comes to clothes or iPhones, they are made under horrible conditions that shouldn’t be, and you try to ignore those because of the benefits. The sad thing is, there are consequences to that which should be addressed. Just last week I was covering Aeon Must Die!‘s alleged disastrous development over the last several months, it isn’t something new either. Dmitry covered the compound of harassment and toxic behavior at Ubisoft, which the company has either been ignoring or has been complicit in.

It shouldn’t be surprising to find that many other cases hadn’t been heard by the mass public yet, but companies have reportedly heard of the behavior within their own studios. The latest example comes from the employees of the company best known for an angry man standing on a roof being a bit sad: Rocksteady, developers of the Batman Arkham series. According to Alex Hern of the UK’s The Guardian, the female employees of the company penned a letter back in November of 2018 denoting the sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviors of the staff.

The reported 10 of a total of the 16 female employees of the London-based studio signed the letter which notes the use of “slurs regarding the transgendered community,” “discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues,” along with reported sexual harassment “in the form of unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman’s body, and inappropriate comments in the office.” The report by Hern notes that the company has reportedly conducted one workplace training seminar, while some of those that signed the letter later left the company. Meanwhile, one asked to remain anonymous when releasing the letter to The Guardian for fear that some still suffer harassment within the company.

For one of the UK’s biggest developers to be ignoring this and stoking this level of fear from repercussions; it should be shocking, but it is not. Too often within the gaming community, among many others, there is this instant reaction to distrust and try to distance yourself from those coming forward with claims. All that is asked of these companies is to, from the top, change the behavior that makes it hard for some to work comfortably at the company.

The woman that requested to say anonymous stated: “I have heard everything from groping claims to incidents involving [senior staff], all of whom are men.” She continued with, “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.” Given how little the company reportedly has done, that is all it looks like, something to cover them to look good.

Though she’d go on to remark that the company has reportedly kept a history of being dismissive towards women, such as the case with female characters. “Rocksteady doesn’t have the best reputation for representing women,” when talking about the sexualization of Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and, of course, Catwoman. Most shocking is the reaction: “Sometimes you could see the surprise on their face when you said that’s not how women dress.” Who looks at skin-tight leather with norks hanging out and thinks that is what every woman wears and looks like in the street?

When Rocksteady was contacted by The Guardian, a spokesperson said: “From day one at Rocksteady Studios, we set out to create a place where people are looked after, a place fundamentally built on respect and inclusion.” That is a little hard to believe when there are these claims, the reported single one-hour long seminar, and, as the anonymous woman that signed the letter noted, there was fear over names being removed from the upcoming game Suicide Squad for speaking out. The company can claim they want to make an inclusive place, but actions speak louder than words. The actions are a workplace of fear, harassment, toxic behavior, and inaction.

The spokesperson when on to say, “In 2018 we received a letter from some of our female employees expressing concerns they had at that time, and we immediately took firm measures to address the matters that were raised. Over the subsequent two years, we have carefully listened to and learned from our employees, working to ensure every person on the team feels supported.” Finishing with, “In 2020 we are more passionate than ever to continue to develop our inclusive culture, and we are determined to stand up for all of our staff.”

The anonymous woman that came forward with the letter noted it was the action of those speaking up at Ubisoft that lead to this. “If you keep putting your head in the sand, you will eventually be outed,” she said, followed by “I’d say 97%-98% of the developers there are incredible people, and it’s so unfair that this will land on them because a few people weren’t managed properly.” It is also understood by The Guardian that Rocksteady called a meeting last Thursday to finally talk about the letter, with further initiatives being put in place to prevent further harassment and behavior. Time will only tell if Rocksteady improves the workplace environment.

Expect to hear more cases like this one and others following Rocksteady and Ubisoft’s recently revealed cases.