Life is Strange: True Colors And Before the storm Studio Deck Nine Games is the subject of a massive discussion IGN Report in which current and former employees claim the studio was a toxic workplace, there was a studio-sponsored crisis, and there were executives who only made things worse.
According to the report, Square Enix, the publisher of Life is strange: Real colorsHe was incredibly hands-on with the script. Multiple sources claim that Square didn’t want that Life is strange be considered a “gay game,” even though each entry features queer characters and optional queer relationships.
“There’s a lot of press praising it Real colors for the first bisexual lead in a Life Is Strange game,” said narrative designer Mallory Littleton IGN. “Even in our Square Enix press guides, right up to [review copies were out], we shouldn’t say anything about Alex’s sexuality at all. And then they did the advance copies, and all these reviews said how great it was to finally see an explicitly bisexual protagonist, and after that, just kidding, Square said Alex was absolutely, canonically, 100% bisexual.”
Deck Nine employees claim it was a toxic workplace
And nevertheless Life is strangeDue to Deck Nine’s reputation as an inclusive franchise, Deck Nine employees were reportedly subjected to sexual harassment, bullying and transphobia, to which management failed to respond for “months,” they said IGN Report. Multiple sources pointed to a senior programmer making sexist comments and crude “jokes” with racist and sexual connotations. The report states that this individual was allegedly fired from Deck Nine after yelling at a human resources representative.
Every woman IGN The interviewee had at least one history of harassment within the company.
The company’s narrative director and later CCO, Zak Garriss, reportedly became the focus of conflict within the studio. Sources claimed that Garriss had developed inappropriate relationships with women in the company, called the Black Lives Matter movement a “hate movement” and once said that members of the team were engaging in “political ideologies” before asking all employees in the meeting to abandon them to list, among other things, their political affiliation.
Garriss replied IGNRequest comment to refute and/or deny several allegations and to clarify others. He told the outlet that he “mentored” women on Deck Nine, but also men. “In my entire career, I have never worked with writers who were creatively inflexible, as averse to difference, or less inclined to listen or compromise than a few of this group,” he said.
Garriss said it too IGN that he did not recall his alleged comments about the Black Lives Matter movement and made “every effort to control the discussions” surrounding the removal of a proposed transgender characterReal colors “with kindness and care.” He said:
“If you want clarity about the views of Deck Nine – the studio and its leadership, including myself – check out the content the team has created to reflect that team’s intentions and beliefs. No game is perfect and no production is ever easy. Before the storm And Real colors were very difficult. But producing these games involved serious hearts that have worked tirelessly for years, and I’m proud of what the team has produced, grateful for the chance to be a part of it, and honored to be alive that we have created with the content that we have touched; Please don’t let the biased perspective of a few blind you to the truth of it all.”
IGN reports that Garriss left Deck Nine after implementing an anonymous review tool, which sources say made more people at the studio feel comfortable voicing their problems with him.
Since Garriss is gone, IGNAccording to sources, morale around Deck Nine has improved. But in late 2022, developers reportedly found racist memes and Nazi images in a project under development Life is strange title. This included references to the number 88, which is often used as a code for the Nazi ideology.
In August 2023, months after their initial discovery, CEO Mark Lyons reportedly announced that the company would implement an anti-hate speech policy, implement a mandatory hate speech training course, and hardcode a process to investigate additional suspected cases of hate speech. Lyons also announced that the situation would be opened for further investigation and hired Denver-based Investigations Law Group as an outside source of assistance. IGN reports that no further information about the investigation was given to employees at the time of publication and that none of the promised measures to combat hate speech were allegedly implemented.
Crisis and layoffs on Deck Nine
IGNThe report also claims that the studio was pressured by higher-ups at Square Enix, resulting in it working to tight deadlines and small budgets. One source called Square Enix a “bully,” while another claimed that the publisher’s toxicity and pressure ultimately seeped into Deck Nine’s culture. And the studio’s cultural problems were reportedly exacerbated by business difficulties, including layoffs due to orders that needed to be worked on The walking dead And The Wolf Among Us 2. IGN‘s sources told the outlet that they believe Deck Nine’s decision-makers are “poor dealmakers” who are not committed to their studio’s needs.
IGN‘s says production on the next one Life is strange Despite all this, the game moves forward, but marginalized employees feel the need to rebuild trust between the team and its leaders. Statement from Deck Nine to IGN says it remains committed to championing diversity and telling stories of historically underrepresented groups. It also says that when allegations of employee misconduct are brought to its attention, it investigates those claims “as quickly and effectively as possible.”
For more details on the situation on Deck Nine, see IGN‘s detailed report.
