Obsidian's Mistreatment of Chris Avellone

[Green Skeleton]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/rpg-codex-interview-chris-avellone-on-pillars-cut-content-game-development-hierarchies-and-more.121588/page-8#post-5590121

I didn’t get anything when I left Obsidian. There were no share payouts, no equity, and this was in addition to the other logistical problems around the departure – the sudden cancellation of my health insurance, problems with my 401K, errors in Obsidian’s accounting, and several existing independent contracts they refused to uphold.

Realizing my family issues and the debts therein, however, they did make an attempt to leverage that into a far more confining separation agreement that would remove my right to work on RPGs, and my silence on all issues that could pertain to Obsidian or any other company they were involved with or the CEO had a % in (Fig, Zero Radius, Dark Rock Industries, etc.).

http://archive.is/gHjgN

For a bunch of SJW devs, they sure treat their employees like crap

[Pink Eye]

You forgot a piece: "This included an inability to critique games I’d worked on – much of my critiques on my own games tend to be blunt, and not being able to speak to them felt unnatural to me"

I am seriously reconsidering my preorder.

[Pink Eye]

Also here is the interview: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/rpg-codex-interview-chris-avellone-on-pillars-cut-content-game-development-hierarchies-and-more.121588/page-8#post-5590121

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Phoenician Carpenter:

Chris Avellone has stated on multiple occassions that he still has good relationships with the developers at Obsidian, and his problems are specifically with higher management.

That's how capitalism goes though. Companies will look out for their best interests.

Except the parent post and mine have nothing to do with the devs. Did you even bother to read the interview? This is about obsidians, upper management, mistreatment of Chris; one of the most significant writers in the genre.

This drama sh*t has made me disillusioned with the company.

[Alexandra Lorular]

Wait, what is this, and why are we just now hearing about it? Aside from trying and failing (thank god) to buy his silence, what really did they do? I feel like I missed the point. Or this is a much longer running issue that I'm only seeing the tail of.

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Alexandra Moldovia:

Wait, what is this, and why are we just now hearing about it? Aside from trying and failing (thank god) to buy his silence, what really did they do? I feel like I missed the point. Or this is a much longer running issue that I'm only seeing the tail of.

Read the interview mate. It literally tells you why you are hearing this now.

[Sentinel 08295]

Not to worry folks, he made up the difference on his own the old fashioned way:

"Still, that attempt at leverage did cause me to re-evaluate aspects of my life. Realizing debt was affecting my decision, I instead focused on working as hard as possible to make up for the amount Obsidian tried to use as leverage to force a signature – and succeeded.

When that happened, I realized I was free of the situation – completely free, for the first time. Feargus and the owners had no hold on my voice, my time, and my creativity any longer. And it was great."

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by jpnole:

Not to worry folks, he made up the difference on his own the old fashioned way:

"Still, that attempt at leverage did cause me to re-evaluate aspects of my life. Realizing debt was affecting my decision, I instead focused on working as hard as possible to make up for the amount Obsidian tried to use as leverage to force a signature – and succeeded.

When that happened, I realized I was free of the situation – completely free, for the first time. Feargus and the owners had no hold on my voice, my time, and my creativity any longer. And it was great."

Sure, but this doesn't excuse the upper managements' treatment of him. Also I wonder who Avellone can refer to when he says, "Upper management".

[Pink Eye]

Regardless this is really damming news. A fire has been started friends, one that can not be so easily extinguished. What makes this even more damming is this:

"When the project ran over – and this happens, I don’t blame anyone for that – it was apparent they ran out of time for their own character implementations – and some companions even required two designers to implement. As such, other developers took on what tasks they could to try and make up for lost time. Things that could definitely have helped (hire an editor, like they eventually did for Tyranny) were refused in light of putting more devs from other projects rather than trying to fix the missing personnel. I was later informed that this time was not paid back, which was the hope but not a surprise, and I don’t think Paradox was ever fully aware the Tyranny team had been gutted (in general, publishers don’t like hearing the resources they’re paying for they aren’t getting"

I wonder how Paradox will react upon learning this, I've spoken to some people on whether or not this is illegal; The answer is it isn't but it can be grounds for a law suit.

Source: http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10894

As to why you are hearing this now:

"The lengthy interview I present today is only the first part of a larger piece that we hope to publish in its entirety someday. Even though some of the questions now feel a tad outdated, there are still some juicy new details to be gleaned here"

In other words, the interviewer never published the full details till now, likely to spite Obsidian. After all, what way to cause such damage than now.

[Alexandra Lorular]

I just checked the obsidian forum, no fire that I saw

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Phoenician Carpenter:

Originally posted by BrokenClock:

This drama sh*t has made me disillusioned with the company.

I don't understand the selective outrage. This is what happens.

He left the company, and they negotiated in their favor. Tough, but that's life.

Lol that is so disingenuous.

[Pink Eye]

*Sigh*

I should stop, I really don't want Deadfire to get bad press, while this is dishearting; I don't want the people who worked really hard on this game to get shafted by corporate drama.

[Alexandra Lorular]

I have to agree with Carpenter, it sucks, it isn't right, but it's not news worthy it's bussiness.

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Alexandra Moldovia:

I have to agree with Carpenter, it sucks, it isn't right, but it's not news worthy it's bussiness.

*Sigh*

I may have jumped the gun, regardless I just don't want Deadfire to be soiled by this drama. Lets just see how this plays out, I hope for our sake this doesn't go anywhere; but the boys over at Rpgcodex have leaked this to some news outlet. So who knows how this plays out.

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Phoenician Carpenter:

How am I being disingenious?

Because of the implications friend. Furthermore, they did try to use his family problem as a bargain chip. You can tell me this is part of the system, or this is normal. But it doesn't change the fact that he was severly mistreated. Dude co founded the company and has worked for it for years, and this is how he was treated?

Look man, I'd rather not argue with you. I, myself, don't know how to make of these events. I've been looking forward to Deadfier, now not so much.

[Alexandra Lorular]

If it's deemed illegal, it should go somewhere, and honestly, It really Should go somewhere reguardless, I'm not really up in arms myself, but I do hope their is some backlash big enough to make sure they don't try to leverage someone like this again any time soon.

edit: Either way, it doesn't hamper my enthusasim for the game, the game is the game, the big wigs are the big wigs.. what the company does as long as it doesn't impact the game directly has little effect on my enjoyment of said game.