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Detroit dev Quantic Dream loses in court case brought by ex-employee

Quantic Dream has lost a court case filed against it by a former employee, essentially ruling that the employee's departure can be called a wrongful termination by way of a toxic work environment.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

July 26, 2018

1 Min Read
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Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream has lost a court case filed by a former employee, reports Eurogamer

The case itself was filed under a specific French employment law that allows former employees to take companies to court over wrongful termination if they left due to considering themselves a victim of a company’s action or culture.

With guidance from a French journalist familiar with the law, Eurogamer explained it as “a notification of termination made by an employee who considered themselves a victim,” though going that route causes that individual to forfeit their employment rights and salary in exchange for the ability to petition for unfair dismissal.

In this particular instance, the employee’s case centers around allegations of toxic workplace culture that were circulated earlier this year by the French publications Le Monde and Canard PC. The individual, in this case, quit their job following the discovery of the inappropriate photoshopped images of employees mentioned in those original reports.

Since the court ruled in favor of the ex-employee involved in this case, that individual’s departure from the company is now to be treated as an unfair dismissal, though Quantic Dream can appeal the decision.

Following those original reports from Le Monde and Canard PC in January, Quantic Dream co-founders David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumiere both denied all allegations and, later, the company started its own yet-ongoing lawsuit against the journalists that first circulated those claims.

About the Author

Alissa McAloon

Publisher, GameDeveloper.com

As the Publisher of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

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