Batman: Arkham Dev Rocksteady Responds To Harassment Allegations Again, Says Improvements Were Made

Update: Rocksteady has issued a more detailed statement in response to the allegations. It outlines some of the steps it has taken in response to the 2018 complaint and says it is committed to "stand up for our staff, and stand firm against any unacceptable behaviour."

Rocksteady Studios has come under scrutiny recently following a report that alleged a culture of harassment. The studio has now posted a further response to the allegations, saying that it received an unsolicited letter from most of the authors of the original allegations.

The studio posted the letter on Twitter, saying it received it unsolicited while formulating a response to the original report from The Guardian. That report cited a 2018 letter from several women at the studio. Rocksteady claims that of the 10 women who signed that letter, eight are still with the company. And of those eight, seven support the statement issued in this new letter.

"In this article, we feel that the anonymous source or sources attempted to speak on behalf of all women at Rocksteady, and we do not feel that this article is a fair representation of us, the events at the time or since the letter was received," it states. It goes on to say that the studio took "immediate action" after having received the original letter, establishing a welcoming environment for feedback and strategies to address the issues, and "continued efforts" have been made including specialized workshops.

The letter goes on to state that they were assured the original letter would be kept private, and now they feel their "privacy and wishes have been disregarded, and a private matter has been made public. This has left us feeling that we have been violated by the source or sources as it was kept private for personal reasons to all involved, not due to industry secrecy."

It concludes by reaffirming solidarity with minorities within the games industry. But in contrast to the allegations, it says Rocksteady has and now continues to take their voices seriously.

This comes just as Rocksteady prepares to unveil its next game, based on Suicide Squad, at DC Fandome. One of that game's primary writers responded to the report with a formal request to be removed from the credits, saying she no longer wants to be associated with the studio.