Nearly two years ago, several female employees were at Rocksteady Studios, the developer behind the Batman: Arkham series, sent a letter to management accusing the studio of failing to commit sexual harassment and sexism in the workplace, according to a new report from The guard.
The letter, which was sent to management after November 2018, was signed by 10 of the 16 women working at the London-based studio. Various issues addressed in the letter to management include persistent unprofessional behavior within the agency, such as degrading and sexually explicit remarks about women, sloppiness directed at the transgender community, and various forms of sexual targets’ in the form of unwanted progress, learning in parts of a woman’s body, and unfavorable remarks at the office. ”
One individual who signed the letter told The guard that sexual abuse also had flowers in the studio’s projects, claiming that designs for various characters, including Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, were highly sexualized.
According to one of The Guardian’s sources, after the letter was sent to management, the company held a one-hour training session to address the issues contained in the letter. Attendees who were present were told to sign a statement acknowledging that they had attended the seminar. But apart from that seminar, no additional measures were taken to create a safer environment, according to the source.
The undersigned said she shared the letter The guard after Ubisoft announced that new measures were taken to create a safe and healthy work environment, involving multiple high-profile employees leaving the company and tying the studio bonuses to team leads based on their ability to create a more inclusive environment to create in the workplace. Ubisoft has been under control since June, when dozens of people surfaced on social media about the company’s toxic work culture, and new allegations are still being made.
In a statement to The guard, a Rocksteady spokesman acknowledged that it had received several complaints about abusive behavior in the workplace:
From day one at Rocksteady Studios, we set out to create a place where people are respected, a place built on respect and inclusion. In 2018, we received a letter from some of our female employees expressing their concerns that they had at the time, and we immediately took firm action to address the issues that were raised. Over the next two years, we listened carefully and learned to our staff, working to make every person on the team feel supported. By 2020, we are more passionate than ever to continue to develop our inclusive culture, and we aim to stand up for all our staff.
The guard says that after reaching for a response, Rocksteady held a meeting with all hands, all of which returned the letter in 2018 for the first time, telling the outlet that new measures were being taken to prevent further discrimination in the workplace.
The announcement comes at a very awkward time for Rocksteady. While the studio has not released a new game since 2016, it is currently developing a new one Suicide Squad game, that it’s scheduled to release later this week.
