{"id":79528,"date":"2024-04-05T20:32:41","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T20:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/05\/life-is-strange-studio-a-toxic-workplace-say-former-employees\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T20:32:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T20:32:41","slug":"life-is-strange-studio-a-toxic-workplace-say-former-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/05\/life-is-strange-studio-a-toxic-workplace-say-former-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Is Strange Studio A Toxic Workplace, Say Former Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Life is Strange: True Colors<\/em><\/a><\/span> and Before the Storm<\/em><\/a><\/span> studio Deck Nine Games is the subject of a massive IGN<\/em><\/a><\/span> report whereby current and former employees allege the studio was a toxic place to work, that there was studio-supported crunch, and there were leaders who only made things worse.<\/p>\n

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The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: October 2023 Edition<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

According to the report, Square Enix, the publisher of Life Is Strange:<\/em> True Colors<\/em>, was incredibly hands-on with the script. Multiple sources claim that Square didn\u2019t want Life Is Strange <\/em>to be thought of as the \u201cgay game,\u201d despite each entry including queer characters and optional queer relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of press out there praising True Colors<\/em> for having the first bisexual lead in a Life Is Strange game,\u201d narrative designer Mallory Littleton told IGN<\/em>. \u201cEven in our press guides from Square Enix, all the way up until [review copies were out], we were not to say anything about Alex\u2019s sexuality, period, at all. And then they did the advance copies, and all of these reviews came out saying how amazing it was to finally see an explicitly bi protagonist, and after that, Square was like, just kidding, Alex is absolutely, canonically, 100% bisexual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deck Nine employees claim it was a toxic workplace<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And despite Life Is Strange<\/em>\u2019s reputation as an inclusive franchise, Deck Nine staff reportedly faced sexual harassment, bullying, and transphobia, which went unaddressed by management for \u201cmonths\u201d at a time, according to the IGN<\/em> report. Multiple sources pointed to a senior programmer who would make sexist remarks and crude \u201cjokes\u201d with racial and sexual connotations. The report states this individual was allegedly let go from Deck Nine following an incident in which he screamed at an HR representative.<\/p>\n

Every woman IGN<\/em> spoke to had at least one story of being subjected to harassment within the company.<\/p>\n

Narrative director and eventual company CCO Zak Garriss reportedly became a center point of conflict within the studio. Sources claimed Garriss formed inappropriate relationships with women at the company, called the Black Lives Matter movement a \u201chate movement,\u201d and once said members of the team were getting hung up on \u201cpolitical ideologies,\u201d before asking all staff in the meeting to list their political affiliations, among other accusations.<\/p>\n

Garriss responded to IGN<\/em>\u2019s request for comment, pushing back against and\/or denying several allegations and clarifying others. He told the outlet he had \u201cmentored\u201d women at Deck Nine, but also mentored men. \u201cIn all of my career, I have never worked with writers who were as creatively inflexible, antagonistic toward difference, or less inclined to listen or compromise as a select few of this group,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Garriss also told IGN<\/em> that he didn\u2019t recall his alleged comments on the Black Lives Matter movement and \u201cmade every effort to handle the discussions\u201d around the removal of a planned trans character inTrue Colors<\/em> \u201cwith kindness and care.\u201d He said:<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you are looking for clarity around the views of Deck Nine\u2013the studio and its leadership, myself included\u2013look to the content the team created as a reflection of the intentions and beliefs of that team. No game is perfect, and no production is ever easy. Before the Storm <\/em>and True Colors<\/em> were very difficult. But earnest hearts working tirelessly for years prevailed in the production of those games, and I am proud of what the team produced, grateful for the chance to have been a part of it, and honored to have touched the lives we have with the content we created; please do not let the biased viewpoint of a select few blind you to the truth of the whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

IGN <\/em>reports that Garriss quit Deck Nine following the implementation of an anonymous evaluation tool, which sources said made more people within the studio comfortable expressing their issues with him.<\/p>\n

With Garriss gone, IGN<\/em>\u2019s sources say morale around Deck Nine improved. But in late 2022, developers reportedly found racist memes and Nazi imagery within an in-development Life Is Strange <\/em>title.<\/em> This included references to the number 88, which is often used as code for Nazi ideology<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

In August 2023, months after their initial discovery, CEO Mark Lyons reportedly announced that the company would institute an anti-hate speech policy, creating a mandatory training course on hate speech, and hardcoding a process for investigating any further suspected instances of hate speech. Lyons also announced the situation would be opened up to further investigation and hired Denver-based Investigations Law Group as an outside source of help. IGN<\/em> reports that, as of publication, employees have been given no further information on the investigation, and that allegedly none of the promised anti-hate speech policies have been implemented.<\/p>\n

Crunch and layoffs at Deck Nine<\/strong><\/h2>\n

IGN<\/em>\u2019s report also alleges the studio was subjected to crunch from higher-ups at Square Enix, which resulted in working with tight deadlines and small budgets. One source called Square Enix \u201cbullies,\u201d while another claimed the toxicity and pressure from the publisher ended up seeping into the culture at Deck Nine. And the studio\u2019s culture problems have been reportedly exacerbated by company hardship, including layoffs following deals to work on The Walking Dead <\/em>and The Wolf Among Us 2<\/em>. IGN<\/em>\u2019s sources told the outlet they believe Deck Nine\u2019s decision-makers are \u201cbad dealmakers\u201d who don\u2019t advocate for their studio\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

IGN<\/em>\u2019s says production on the next Life Is Strange <\/em>game is progressing despite all of this, but that marginalized employees feel a need for trust to be rebuilt between the tem and its leaders. Deck Nine\u2019s statement to IGN<\/em> says it remains \u201ccommitted to championing diversity and telling stories from historically underrepresented groups.\u201d It also says that when allegations of employee misconduct are brought to its attention, it investigates these claims \u201cas quickly and effectively as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more details on the situation at Deck Nine, check out IGN<\/em>\u2019s extensive report<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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