The digital technology and games workers union and the David Cage-led studio will see their argument end in July.
Back in late May, Solidaires Informatique (which we will shorten to SI onwards) published an article to recap the events that happened on the trial (Quantic Dream sued Le Monde and Mediapart, two French publications, for libel), calling the two days (May 27, May 28) grotesque. (We will not go into the events that led to the trial, as we have kept you updated on the situation in the past years.) Gamesindustry had anonymous sources present at the trial, but in fairness, the site also talked with Quantic Dream to have both sides heard.
One of the issues at the core of the trial was accusations of financial malpractice. Quantic Dream was accused of the following: when firing an employee, the employee would contest the dismissal to then be able to receive a compensation payment. This is a win-win move for both parties, as the transaction would then not be subjected to a contribution to French employee and employer social security organisation URSSAF. However, the compensation would cost less for the studio, while the fired employee would also receive more money. Quantic Dream claims URSSAF found „nothing to blame the company for.”
The trial discussed one of the original reports’ key contentions: Quantic Dream’s co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière was dismissed mid-2016 and applied the method described above to contest his dismissal and claim compensation of at least 60 thousand euros. SI reports that QD (we shorten the studio’s name from this point) presented several documents to prove their innocence, including dismissal letters. All of them had the same reason for dismissal: „Refusal to follow directives.” The press outlets’ counsel was prompt to point out that one of them had irregularities, making it an unfair dismissal.
Another subject was also brought up at the trial. After the accusations of harassment and toxic workplace culture in 2018, David Cage was said to have called in all the women at the studio individually in his office to investigate the situation, but without the presence of staff or HR representative. A QD spokesperson refused to comment as they don’t comment on false information. (The company previously has said it enlisted an external company called People Vox to survey employees and found no trace of a toxic atmosphere.)
Cage reportedly said that he doesn’t owe any explanation to journalists. Also, QD’s lawyers accused one of the journalists of writing the article as revenge for Guillaume de Fondaumière refusing them access to the VIP section of a Quantic Dream party once. SI claimed that Cage burst into tears during the trial, but Gamesindustry’s sources suggested that it’s an exaggeration. He did tell the court that it was meddling with his business and that the issues addressed in the trial impacted his honour.
SI’s report included a few comments that Cage allegedly said in the studio. For transparency, we will quote them without any censorship and we do not approve of such behaviour: „In my games, all women are whores.” „It’s lacking tits in the office.” and „At Quantic Dream, we don’t make games for fags.”
Gamesindustry reached out to Quantic Dream. They said they took Le Monde and Mediapart to court for „publishing articles that we felt were not printed in good faith, nor with reasonable research nor evidence, and which drew false conclusions which extensively damaged the reputation and morale of the studio. In recent days, completely fabricated quotes and misinterpreted information purported to have come from the trial have been circulating on the Internet. These misleading accusations have been proven false time and again by numerous testimonies, before the court, by current and former employees of Quantic Dream, third-party audits of financial and human resources records, and the judgments of Labour Court and Appeals Court.”
The staff delegates also provided a statement: „As staff representatives, and on behalf of the employees of Quantic Dream, we unequivocally object to the unprofessional, decidedly untrue accusations that have been levelled at us for years now, as well as to the malicious dissemination of damaging images. Employees are tired of the constant attacks from outside sources who follow a personal agenda, never taking into account our own experiences and testimonies.
Quantic Dream is a rare, inclusive, collaborative and optimistic group of employees. It is run with kindness, positivity and professionalism. We remind you that we are open to constructive and respectful exchanges, to enrich the quality of company life; however, we no longer accept new allegations that flout the human values of our teams.”
The result will be interesting to hear on July 8.
Source: Gamesindustry
