Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - That's Quantic Dream's New Direction
In 2018, the studio's management was sued for failing to uphold the rights of its employees. Today, it brags about its advocacy for women and those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Coming next month, the studio Quantic Dream will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Because of that its members, headed by David Cage, have released a statement regarding the current policy of the company. We learn from it that consideration of gender, sexual and ethnic minorities is at the core of the creators' activities.
Quantic Dream against discrimination
Surprisingly, for the studio's 25th anniversary, instead of celebrating, its members are "reevaluating its internal practices." The official statement acts as a list of all the anti-discrimination measures Quantic Dream has taken and is about to take.
Among other things, we learn that more than 50% of managers in various sectors of the studio are women. A female leader of the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) department has also been hired and the company has allocated a budget for initiatives in this area.
Also highlighted is the attention given to hiring employees and establishing partnerships with organizations in the LGBTQIA+ community. These behaviors are primarily intended to faithfully represent the diverse viewpoints and experiences of the characters in the studio's games.
We also know that an internal system for anonymous reporting of workplace concerns has been established, and that third-party companies are regularly invited to organize surveys of employee opinions and concerns.
Such actions, however, seem not coincidental.
Controversy over atmosphere in the company
The statement, published yesterday on the studio's website, appears to be closely linked to the affair that began in 2018. At the time the opinions of former and current Quantic Dream employees began to come to light, who accused the company of sexism, racism and homophobia.
In addition, David Cage and Guillaume De Fondaumiere, the founders of the studio, have been publicly accused of failing to respect workers' rights and forcing subordinates to work days of dozen+ hours without the opportunity to voice their opinions.
The accusations eventually led to a lawsuit. In mid-2018, in its first verdict, a Parisian court found the employers guilty of the alleged misconduct. However, in April 2021, an appeals court dismissed those charges, acquitting the studio's management.
Following the official acquittal, Cage issued a a statement, in which he claimed that the whole controversy was a manipulation on the part of a small group of employees, and the company was constantly subjected to government inspections, which did not reveal irregularities in its operation.
The studio's founder denied rumors of discriminatory actions by management from the beginning, pointing to his cooperation with Elliot Page (who used the name Ellen at the time), who played the main character in Beyond: Two Souls. Was it enough?
Quantic Dream officially proclaims that it is based on "mutual respect, openness and support." Do the executives actually see the tasks listed in the statement as having a positive impact on game quality and employee well-being, or is this just a PR strategy to warm up the image of a company entangled in years of controversy? We can only speculate.
