Developers of Greedfall and Technomancer Spiders studios will be on strike next week, Monday 2nd September and Tuesday 3rd September.
In a document published by the French Union of Video Game Developers STJV (spotted by Gaming Industry), staff have denounced years of mismanagement. 44 employees, or about half of Spiders’ 95-person team, have signed a letter to “finally push management to act in the best interests of employees and the company.”
The 20-page document covers several topics, most notably “growing instability.” Staffers allege that management has refused to allow employees to work from home or accommodate their needs in any way, made last-minute changes to plans well in advance, and paid wages that are “on average lower” than the rest of the French video game industry.
“How can we continue to live in the Paris area and still work at Spiders?” the document asks. “We are [unable] to know where we will be able to live in the future, nor how we will face life events, even those planned in advance.”
He also said that Spiders' organization has changed “little, if at all” given its staff of nearly 100. As a result, decisions are rarely hard and fast, work can be easily “invalidated,” and staff feel that projects “can't figure out where they're going.”
“We're getting bogged down in complicated productions. […] What is at stake is the proper functioning of the company and the health of its employees, whose creative and technical potential is limited by inadequate and disorganized processes.”
Spider problems that have been going on for years are catching up with him
Spiders' documents state that his problems significantly affected the work on Fall of Greed 2 above all. The production is said to have led to “burnouts” and several departures midway through or after development.
Factors that led to development going “under water” include an unplanned (and “painful”) Early Access launch and pipeline issues that built on those of previous projects. At one point, there was even a supposed investigation launched by French authorities.
Amid all this, Spiders claims that management has been unresponsive or downright hostile to calls for change. During the investigation, COO Anne Devouassoux allegedly “forced” (and was refused) that officials give her the answers staff had provided.
The management also accused the elected representatives of trying to “destabilize” From Greedfall 2 creative direction. In general, Spiders leaders were said to “show great difficulty in re-evaluating themselves and deny workers' ability to make their voices heard.”
After months of stalled negotiations, Spiders staff are hoping that the strike on September 2 and 3 will “get us out of this impasse” and secure better conditions for current and future staff.
These conditions include a minimum of three days of home working per week, clear pay scales and progression schemes and salary increases.
During the two-day strike, Spiders encouraged other French developers, journalists and political actors to join them. It will also be a virtual strike in a Minecraft server built for the event.
You can read Spiders' full document on the mismanagement allegations Here.