WB Games developer Rocksteady has responded to allegations of a toxic workplace ahead of a Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League reveal later this morning.
The news of allegations of a toxic workplace broke last week, when Kim MacAskill created a video that explained the was an anonymous letter writer cited by an expose that featured in The Guardian.
The Guardian’s report states that MacAskill’s letter, dated November 2018, was signed by 10 of Rocksteady’s 16 female employees at the time. The letter raised complaints about male employee behaviour including “slurs regarding the transgendered community”, “discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues” alongside sexual harassment “in the form of unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman’s body, and inappropriate comments in the office”.
In a 15-minute video published after the report, MacAskill identified herself and ultimately asked that her name be removed from the credits of Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League.
“It’s like choosing between my dream job and my dignity,” MacAskill, worked as Senior Scriptwriter at Rocksteady from 2016-2019, said of the decision to leave the company. She’s since worked with Playground Games on the new Fable game and has since transitioned to NaturalMotion as a Principle Narrative Designer.
MacAskill alleges that Rocksteady told its employees of the December 2018 letter after The Guardian’s report had been published.
In reply, Rocksteady has issued a lengthy statement to Twitter.
Here is our statement: pic.twitter.com/ssyzNWfyhB
— Rocksteady Studios (@RocksteadyGames) August 21, 2020
Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League panel will kick off at 10.10 am AEST today, 23 August.
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