There's a complicated situation brewing over at Rocksteady. Earlier this week, the Guardian published a report that accused the studio of inaction following allegations from staff about sexual harassment in the workplace.
Apparently, after serious concerns were raised by a letter signed by 10 of 16 women working at the studio at the time, the response was an hour-long seminar that was said to be more for the studio to protect themselves than to do anything meaningful to change the company culture, with the report claiming that it led to "multiple" signatories leaving the company.
Since then, however, Rocksteady shared a statement on its social media that refutes these claims. According to the short statement that accompanied the open letter, it was unsolicited. According to the note, which is apparently signed by seven of the eight women who signed the original back in 2018, those involved don't feel the new report fairly represents "us, the events of the time or since the letter was received.
Moreover, they add that the original letter was kept secret and not publicised at the time due to the wishes of those involved, and it suggests that there's a sense of betrayal at the way this has been brought out into the open.
After the original Guardian report went live, former Rocksteady senior writer Kim MacAskill shared a video on YouTube where she confirmed that she was the author of the 2018 letter, and where she outlined her position now at the same time as formally asking the studio not to credit her on the upcoming Suicide Squad game.
While MacAskill apologised to anyone who felt their privacy had been infringed by recent events, she added that "for me, it was important to speak. We all signed it, the stories ARE true and they take no accountability."