According to reports, the season saw major development changes due to the alleged toxic executive

The Scavengers Studio season, which had an impressive debut trailer at the 2020 Game Awards, had a tumultuous development due to the latest reported pattern of workplace harassment and toxic behavior in the studio. A new comprehensive report by GamesIndustry.biz exposes a series of accusations from nine current and former employees of Scavengers Studio, the team behind the previous and next season’s Darwin Project, against Darwin Project co-founder and creative director Simon Darveau. Specifically in relation to the season, the report describes an alleged earlier concern among Scavengers developers that if Darveau became part of the team working on the season, he would essentially “replace” current creative director, Kevin Sullivan (who IGN previously talked about Season), and the rest of the team’s work.According to the report, those concerns have become real, with claims that, although his actual role in the game remains unclear, it came in and led to “a considerable change in focus and scope” in the season than what had previously happened . “Several current officials mentioned that Darveau used the partnership with Sony to force his own ideas into the game, saying that he had promised a number of resources to seal the deal – like a bigger world, missions and objective markers – that were not planned. or has already been dropped by the team. Now, they said, the studio is on the hook for them, “says the Gamesindustry.biz report, with a source quoted in the story saying” I don’t even recognize the game “of what was originally planned.

A source even told the outlet “Although it brought me extreme joy to see my friends’ work, it hurt a little to see a lot of people praising the studio, saying how calm, relaxed and progressive it all seemed. It may well be true for the project. Season, but it hasn’t been my management experience. “

Season – 9 screenshots

And these concerns are not just due to claims of “Davreau’s inability to follow ideas”, which was also a striking aspect of the Darwin Project’s internal development. Instead, the report sheds light on a series of accusations against Devreau and the current Scavengers CEO, Amélie Lamarche.

Chief among the claims of the alleged hostile workplace created by Davreau and Lamarche is the feeling of a “boys’ club” atmosphere, with claims that the women in the studio were “often degraded by male employees, including Darveau, or childish and treated as if they were, they didn’t know what they were talking about, even when they spoke of a position of specialization about their own work. “In addition, the report presents reported concerns of current and former employees about Davreau’s mistreatment and intimidation against employees, except for a group of “commands” that were Davreau’s favorites; Davreau’s claims groping several employees and Lamarche’s implications essentially serving in an HR role for other employees, despite previously having a romantic relationship with Davreau.

The pickers responded to Gamesindustry, saying “Scavengers Studio recognizes that there have been situations during its rapid growth and takes the position that any type of harassment is undesirable and unacceptable and takes any complaints about it very seriously”, and while the studio said to the channel that “Certain elements … are false, a little out of proportion or without important pieces”, the Waste Pickers did not comment further on what specifically may have been incorrect about the allegations.

The season is scheduled for a release this year on PC and PS5.

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