Posted in: Games, Quantic Dream, Video Games | Tagged: lgbtqia, Quantic Dream

Quantic Dream Issues Statement On New Studio Culture

French developer Quantic Dream release a statement last week addressing the company's culture within the studio and their move to fix it. Over the past few years, the company has been the subject of multiple allegations related to the treatment of women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Their reputation behind the scenes was so bad, that at one point the company was struggling to find people to work on the new Star Wars game that was revealed during The Game Awards this past December. To try and repair the damage done since 2018, the company sent out this statement, which we have a chunk of it for you to read below, discussing how they're moving forward to correct their office culture.

While the statement is a step forward, the reality is actions speak louder than words, and it's going to be a while before anything mentioned below will be seen with either serious effort or a nonchalant attitude. If the company is earnest in fixing this, they would be one of the few companies to bounce back from a tarnished reputation in recent years as places like Ubisoft, Riot Games, and Activision-Blizzard are still feeling the sting despite some of them making efforts to change. But if it's lip service, Quantic Dream will be the next to join them indefinately. Only time will tell how the company ultimately addresses it.

• We are partnering with an LGBTQIA+ organization to advise on authentic representation of LGBTQIA+ characters, stories and themes in our games. Training sessions and brainstorms have already started.
• Quantic Dream is engaged with the Diversity Charter promoted by French organizations SNJV and SELL, the governmental agencies DGE and CNC. You can read it here.
• Our LGBTQIA+ community has nominated representatives to ensure that diverse voices and authentic representation are infused in everything that we do, and that a diversity of viewpoints are represented at all levels in the studio.
• We have and will continue to hire and elevate diverse talent, including within our writing staff, to ensure that we reflect the diversity of our audience and the games we want to create.
• Employees from the LGBTQIA+ community have been present at the studio since its creation. Many have seniority of ten years or more in the company, occupying all positions and levels of responsibilities.
• We are welcoming a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) leader to the team, with a specific budget dedicated to DEI initiatives.
• More than 50% of our managers are women, including our Production Directors, our Marketing VP, our Sales Director, our Communications Director, our Human Resources Director, many Project Managers, Producers and Department Leads. Our Equity score (evaluated by the French Government) shows equity in salary and equal treatment between women and men.
• Internal processes allow any employee to report workplace issues anonymously through non-executive staff. Different channels, including dedicated digital spaces, are available to express themselves, share ideas and voice concerns. Anonymous surveys are also conducted in our team on a regular basis by independent third-party companies specialized in human resources so anyone can freely express their opinion or concerns.

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