Rockstar leak clarifies Red Dead rant

By Fred Dutton Published 21 December, 2010

It's "possible things were cheery" elsewhere.

The former Rockstar employee who this weekend lifted the lid on an alleged culture of "deception", "manipulation" and "abuse" at the Red Dead Redemption studio has attempted to clarify some of his comments.

In an email to Eurogamer, the anonymous whistle-blower, who goes by the nom de plume of Zero Dean, explained that the conditions he originally described might not have been the same company-wide.

"Different teams handled things in different ways - buildings team, environment team (landscape), programming team, character team, lighting team... My experience is with the buildings team. It is quite possible things were 'cheery' on other teams and I simply wasn't *aware* of it."

Elsewhere in the email, Dean also stepped away from his original claim that Rockstar might have been monitoring his emails.

"It is also *possible* that emails were *not* being monitored directly (there is "auto monitoring" to make sure no one is sending files outside of the studio - and then there is getting BCC'd on team emails - the first was happening, the second is my "conclusion") - it's *possible* that one of the three people I wrote the email to forwarded it to the higher up."

The former senior environment artist went on to insist that he didn't want to give the impression he was taking full credit for creating the Mexico section of the game.

"After I was stripped of my responsibilities, I was taken out of Mexico. I worked in various other areas of the game. So I *didn't build Mexico* - the guys who did (my former team), did a great job. I had almost nothing significant to do with it - except the terracotta roofs and a couple of buildings.

"Also, I really don't want any kind of 'recognition' associated with the game," he continued. "It's a great game, but the people who remained at Rockst*r long after I left are the people who deserve recognition - so the 'The world that Zero Dean built' is a bit over the top."

"Please remember that there are people still working in these conditions," Dean signed off, "and that this kind of exposure can actually make their working conditions worse - and that would suck."

We're awaiting comment from Rockstar regarding its side of the story and will update when we hear back.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (44) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • Ikaros_O #1 1 year ago

    "Please remember that there are people still working in these conditions," Dean signed off, "and that this kind of exposure can actually make their working conditions worse - and that would suck."


    "We're awaiting comment from Rockstar regarding its side of the story and will update when we hear back."

    Heh.

  • freethinker101 #2 1 year ago

    I can well believe that things were not happy at the Red Dead studio, as the game itself was so depressing!!!!!

  • DDevil #3 1 year ago

    What were you expecting freethinker? Blazing Saddles: The Video game? Or a musical along the lines of Calamity Jane perhaps?

  • menage #4 1 year ago

    Depressing? Not the vibe I got, more like finally something maturely told without resorting to tits and swearing.

    But anywone wanting to work at a creative agency or studio should think twice if they want a normal 9-5, thats not going to happen, and pay is lousy as well.

  • RobotRocker #5 1 year ago

    Blazing Saddles: The Video game?

    Don't even joke about this. You know this would be awesome.

  • Ryboy #6 1 year ago

    So, what was actually quite an interesting read was really all bullshit.

  • TelexStar #7 1 year ago

    What *strikes* me more than the sob story of the *imprisoned* developers whos diamond shoes are too tight, is the creative use of asterisks surrounding near enough every other *word* in that story.

  • darkmorgado #8 1 year ago

    This is so obviously an attempt to put "allegedly" in front of everything to avoid being sued by lawyers hired by c*nts to maintain a culture of secrecy.

    I feel sorry for him, and he has my appreciation.

  • PearOfAnguish #9 1 year ago

    Not just *asterisks* but totally "unnecessary" quote "marks".

  • Shinetop #10 1 year ago

    Wow, that's some feisty backpedaling. Maybe Zero Dean is just some disgruntled ex-employee who heard about EA Wives, wanted his 15 minutes of fame, and saw it quickly get out of hand?

  • darleysam #11 1 year ago

    Whoah there turbo, complaining about the place like this, then asking everyone else to be discrete and remember the others working there.. seems a bit inconsistent?

  • kangarootoo #12 1 year ago

    "and that this kind of exposure can actually make their working conditions worse - and that would suck."

    Not likely.

  • Alex_976 #13 1 year ago

    It's just like working for Tesco but the difference is I'm paid just above minimum wage and no doubt he on several k per month.
    When they tried to bully us into staying behind to finish our jobs without being paid overtime, we all got together and agreed to all walk off the shop floor at clocking out time regardless of if the shop floor was clear or not.
    What were they gonna do? Sack all of us? They didn't have a leg to stand on as none of us were breaking our contracts.

    Now my section manager tells us to clear down a good half hour before were due to go no doubt due to him not wanting to have to clear everything himself again lol

    If it was as bad as this rockstar guy is claiming surely everyone would have got together and agreed to do something similar ie not to do stupid amounts of overtime and extra days for no extra pay.
    Maybe he's just venting cause he got took off his job for not being up to scratch??

  • FogHeart #14 1 year ago

    Whip crack away - Whip crack away - Whip crack awaaay!

  • kongzi #15 1 year ago

    If you are making terracotta roofs on buildings in a game. No doubt based on extensive reference material and to exacting standard you are not an artist. You may convince yourself you are but an artist (without brackets) is someone who works on his/her own ideas and is willing to do that whatever the cost.
    Buy a turtleneck, drink your espressochinos and stfu.

  • FogHeart #16 1 year ago

    The terracotta roofing in the game is terrible anyway. They must have had some real cowboys in.

    Thanks, I'm here all week.

  • kangarootoo #17 1 year ago

    @Alex_976

    "surely everyone would have got together and agreed to do something"

    Rarely happens unfortunately. Kudos to you for it though.

  • kinky_mong #18 1 year ago

    So I *didn't build Mexico* - the guys who did (my former team), did a great job.

    Pah!

  • benfresh76 #19 1 year ago

    @kongzi: Which is pretty much the same for any artist in any area of commercial media, and is one of the reasons games are not 'art'. Being a games industry'artist' is a soul destroying, gut wrenching, endless compromise for any true creative (ie not an 'art worker'), and I have absolute faith in the credibiility of this person, who decided that they would not be silenced by the corporate bully culture employed in so many dev studios.

    For those people who dismiss any such claims as whiny or cowardly, there is a lot of risk in coming forward like this, and I believe that any attempt to bring attention to the exploitative practices employed by the game industry is to be commended. It is wrong to equate the 'quality' of a product with how much of a person's personal life, dignity and self worth they are willing (forced) to sacrifice in order to achieve it; it is entirely unnecessary...bare in mind there is little financial reward for game development staff and there is no system in place to protect people that work in the industry.

    This guy speaks the truth, don't doubt it, I speak from experience.

  • PlugMonkey #20 1 year ago

    @Alex_976

    Do you have any idea how hard it is to just walk away from something you've been investing your heart and sole in for two years or more? The attitude at every studio I have ever been in contact with is to finish the game - come hell or high water - and deal with the politics and managerial bullshit later. This can often result in a post project studio exodus, but at the time people are too emotionally invested in their work to walk out on it, and some unscrupulous managers will take advantage of this.

    Also, I don't think senior environment artists earn several k a month.

  • kongzi #21 1 year ago

    Every part of the entertainment industry employs exploitative practices in one way or another. Try being a screenwriter, or a ballet dancer, it's the same thing everywhere: Hard work, long days, lots of assholes, shitty pay. You either accept it or you don't. I'm not calling him a coward for stepping out of that, I would too. But I wouldn't be on some blog trying to get my little media-buzz going for myself and then trying to quiet it down again when things get heated, like he didn't know/hope that would happen? If you see something wrong, you don't try to change it, or stand up to it.. no, you wait until it passes and then you whine about it on the internet.

  • Shikasama #22 1 year ago

    The thing is the game was hugely succesfull, made a boat load of money and won loads of awards.

    Why would they change anything?

    It's not right but it has to come from the staff. Stop being the oppressed workers and complaing about things (especially when you joined an industry that is notorious for this type of behaviour) and DO something about it. Stop making millions for the people who are bullying you or nothing will change.

    It might be hard and I know people have families and sub-prime mortgages, but until you try and act you can't simpy sit and moan about it.

  • PlugMonkey #23 1 year ago

    @kongzi

    Try overworking and underpaying your screenwriters to the level that people get away with in the games industry and see what you get.

    I'll tell you.

    A gigantic fuck off writers strike.

    You literally cannot get a film crew to work more than 12 hours in a day. Literally. Oh, and try telling them you're not paying overtime and see what happens.

    I know people who work in the film industry. They work as hard as I do during the crunches, but they earn so much overtime that they then take 6 months off!

    We need a union.

  • benfresh76 #24 1 year ago

    @Alex_976: If you work at tesco, you would usually get paid overtime for the unskilled work you do. I worked out that during crunch on one particular project, I was earning less than minimum wage...I was working on a high profile franchise, had several years industry experience and a first class degree to back it all up.

    People stay silent because most do not relish that kind of confrontation, are scared for their job or are happy just to plod along and I agree that in some ways, that kind of apathetic complacency feeds the bully culture that creates it, but the truth remains that there are no safeguards, no unions, no protection for people who want to make a stand in the games industry. Why should a person be 'risking their career' in speaking out? Furthermore, why are so many gamers so quick to criticise and dismiss the whistleblowers? Perhaps if there were more support from the fans for the people who sacrifice so much for their entertainment, there might be a bit more solidarity in the workplace for game industry workers.

  • kangarootoo #25 1 year ago

    @Shikasama

    "Why would they change anything?"

    Because it was late.
    Because it was overbudget.
    Because people eventually leave bad working environments, leaving you less equipped to produce the next project effectively.


    Of course, that is why they should change something. But as you say, so long as they can get by, there is little incentive to do so.

  • kangarootoo #26 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    Do you manage people in your work?

  • benfresh76 #27 1 year ago

    @sven_vath: Oh, it's you again. So, let me get this right, in your mind, the only right a person has to expect fair treatment, fair pay and a decent quality of life from their employer is if they are working in a sweat shop in slave conditions? That is a moronic, narrow minded and regressive argument. And 'top job'? That implies that you think that game industry professionals are highly paid...Perhaps you should do your research; most game industry pro's earn a fraction of what creatives in other industries earn, and that's before you factor in unpaid overtime etc.

    Honestly, the way you talk, anyone would think you were a producer.

  • GitSomE_UK #28 1 year ago

    Who cares? It's the same no matter where you work. There's always some bollocks politics, there's always someone trying to get a free ride, take credit for your work and so on.

    This guy needs to man up and get with the program.

  • ReNo #29 1 year ago

    "Man up and get with the program"? What the hell does that even mean? Fall back into line and accept being spoken down to by your boss and work all the hours under the sun because that's what it takes to ship the game to your wholly unrealistic deadline? That doesn't sound like "manning up" to me.

    Deciding enough is enough and quitting the job because you don't accept those working conditions, and then speaking out about them being unacceptable in an attempt to draw attention to it and hopefully, in some small way, make a difference? Sounds to me like he already "manned up".

  • kangarootoo #30 1 year ago

    I feel like I'm watching Top Gun.

  • MaybeLater #31 1 year ago

    I think it's fair to want more from your working environment, especially in an industry like this one which is more of a passion then, say, stock-broking or accountancy. Zero Dean's account was interesting and this little disclaimer is a pity, but obviously very necessary.
    There does seem to be an overt culture within Rockstar management of making money over artist expression and a general lack of respect for creatives. It would be a great pity to see The Games industry follow the same suit as The Film industry; namely a large majority of seniority obsessed dickheads who basically do fuck all whilst the less vocal minority do all the work and get shat on.

  • benfresh76 #32 1 year ago

    @sven_vath: Yes, I'm sure he signed a contract for his hours (this is standard practice, thanks for pointing it out), and that's what he was paid for, I fail to see what bearing this little nugget has on this guys particular grievances.

    I take it back BTW, you don't sound like a producer, you sound like an inexperienced sub graduate wannabe who would do ANYTHING to get a 'top job' in the industry and doesn't have the slightest clue of what they are talking about in a real world context. Perhaps you'd be more sensitive and empathic if you were an experienced game industry professional, maybe with a family or any other serious commitment outside of work, or even just a person who wanted to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

  • PlugMonkey #33 1 year ago

    "or the people who drive brand new BMW's and live in a big ass luxury house? honestly :/ "

    lol. What? Who? And more importantly, WHERE? Are they hiring? Heh heh. Brand new BMW and a big ass luxury house you say?! That's fucking funniest thing I have seen in weeks.

    You know those adverts for courses that say "In one year you could be a video games designer earning over £40k a year!"?

    They lie.

  • kangarootoo #34 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    "then change your job. not hard at all"

    Little man. What are you, 14?

  • benfresh76 #35 1 year ago

    @sven_vath: So all the talented, experienced and passionate people who don't like the way the game industry treats them should leave their career behind? Well, that might be the only way you get a job I guess.

    I take it back again, 'sub graduate' suggests you might have some intelligence when you are clearly an ignorant troll. Ignored.

  • kangarootoo #36 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    "so one shit job in the games industry = all jobs in the games industy are shit... "

    Sorry, who is supposed to have said that?

  • Skurmedel #37 1 year ago

    The troll is strong in you.

  • kangarootoo #38 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    "with attitudes like this you will end up like this zero dean guy"

    Except that, you don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about. And that is obvious. However much you lay down the tough talk, we all know that you don't have the slightest clue how the business works, or what it takes to get ahead. You are just blowing hot air, and we all know it.

  • PlugMonkey #39 1 year ago

    sven_vath

    I have never seen someone display such utter ignorance and yet talk quite so fucking much. You are a joke. You know nothing. About the games industry, about life, about anything. All you are capable of it spouting tough talking platitudes

    You are an idiot. Anyone reading this thread can see that.

  • kangarootoo #40 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    "didn't claim to know how the industry works. just how the world works..."

    Haaahaha. How the world works. Very funny, oh wise one.

    And nice playground insults, very cutting, and quite predictable.

  • ToAks #41 1 year ago

    jeez... so what else is new?

  • Windypops #42 1 year ago

    I wonder if sven has conversations with friends (bit of a stretch, but hell, it takes all sorts) that go like this:

    Friend: " I don't like eggs."
    sven: "You don't like eggs? What are you, some kind of massive, emasculated, man-baby that probably likes MEN? You know there are people in Africa who live off two grains of rice a day? You make me sick, not liking eggs. You need to grow a pair and man-up, and maybe some other meaningless phrases that idiot yahoos throw around in situations like these. At the end of the day."
    Friend: "I just wanted to get it off my chest, you know. I chose not to eat eggs any more. I just wanted to talk about my position on eggs."
    sven: "Well you should stow that shit and hunker down and maybe eat some eggs. And not mention not liking eggs again. Even if you're force fed eggs. That's what men do. They don't complain when things are shit, they just bottle it up and let it destroy their relationships and their physical and mental health. Because they're men!" wipes away tear
    Friend: "Gee, it's good that there are people like you in the world."

    I'm a bit bored.

  • Ghettomurph #43 1 year ago

    @sven_vath

    Wind your neck in fella, you sound like a whining little teenage know-it-all.

  • moriss #44 1 year ago

    i dont think there are ANY grounds to think that he was lying in any way. he has no physical evidence to prove the email was intercepted or forwarded, so he is forced to admit that it *could* have been forwarded, as indeed it could.

    i think he's had his collar felt by people who are still at rockstar who were perhaps his bosses and/or who could make his life hell by identifying him to other studios, and he's panicking and trying to manage the speculation getting out of hand.

    i firmly believe that he did indeed experience the bulk of what he complained about. im in a completely different industry but at any large company that ive worked at which was split into such teams of people, where bad communication habits had developed and got entrenched, this exact sort of shit was going on, and managers and execs would indeed come down like a ton of bricks on people who attempted to manage their own groups with anything approaching honesty about the situation - at least they would if the honesty was captured in writing.

    you can say what you like but dont EVER diss the company in a company-branded email, even a private one to someone else at the same company, just in case it does get out...