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Rocksteady Studios, the developer of the Batman: Arkham games, has been accused of failing to protect its employees from sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the office.
In 2018, a letter was written by Rocksteady Studios employees to the higher-ups. This letter, obtained by The Guardian, was signed by 10 of the company’s 16 female staff at the time, and criticised the acceptance of “slurs regarding the transgendered community,” “discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues”, and sexual harassment “in the form of unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman’s body, and inappropriate comments in the office.” As a result of this, one training seminar has been held to combat the unacceptable behaviour, and multiple employees are no longer with Rocksteady Studios due to its lack of action.
Speaking anonymously, one of the signatories told The Guardian that not much has changed between 2018 and 2020. “I have heard everything from groping claims to incidents involving [senior staff], all of whom are men,” she said. “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.”
She elaborated that the studio has cultivated a certain perspective towards women, and this affected the development of its games. “Rocksteady doesn’t have the best reputation for representing women,” she said, referencing the design of characters like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. “Sometimes you could see the surprise on their face when you said that’s not how women dress.” She also added that the letter wasn’t published widely because the industry values discretion, and that the signatories were worried that if they might be removed from the credits of the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The company has responded to the story, and said that it wishes to continue fostering an inclusive culture. “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,” said a spokesperson. “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. 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.”
