The creators behind Detroit Become Human, Quantic Dream, has decided to sue French media outlets Le Monde and Mediaparts over negative press. This negative press came in the form of the Le Monde and Mediaparts publishing reports back in January about Quantic Dream and their allegedly poor working conditions, causing an uproar on social media that spread like wildfire.
This report of the media outlets being sued first came from Kotaku, where it was reported David Cage said that “we’re suing their journalists” during a preview appointment for Detroit Become Human. It was then later on confirmed to Kotaku by William Audureau, one of the journalists from Le Monde, that he was indeed dealing with paperwork for the lawsuit sent by Quantic Dream.
Audureau published the report on Quantic Dream’s supposed toxic working conditions to Mediapart and Canard PC, though the latter media outlet has not been affected by lawsuits. In the report by Audureau, it was mentioned that Quantic leadership had overworked its staff and fostered a “schoolboy culture” where racist comments and low-grade sexual harassment were commonplace. It was also reported that Nazi propaganda had been displayed in the office as part of a “joke.”
Quantic Dream’s leaders David Cage and Guillaume de Fondaumière spoke out against these damning accusations on Twitter. The statement was retracted a month later, stating legal action was underway. Considering Audureau’s current problem, it seems Quantic Dream, Cage and Fondaumière were most definitely not bluffing.
This is reportedly the first case of a studio taking legal action against press over negative reporting, though it is no surprise considering the accusations being thrown Quantic Dream’s way. Where Quantic Dream and the journalists of the French media outlets will go from here is uncertain, but we hope the matter is resolved justly on both sides.
