Detroit: Become Human Developer Ordered To Pay Up Over Vulgar Images

Quantic Dream, the French studio behind adventure games like Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain, has been ordered to pay more than $7000 to an ex-employee for the circulation of vulgar images, according to a report by French publication Le Monde (translated via Gamasutra).

Le Monde reports that Quantic Dream remained "passive" as vulgar images of an ex-employee "performing a salute Nazi" circulated around the studio. In the face of Quantic Dream knowing about and doing nothing to prevent these images from propagating, a French judge ordered the studio to pay a total of €7,000 (or approximately $7,753) for an infringement of the employee's security.

"By remaining passive in the face of this more than questionable practice, which can not be justified by the 'humorous' spirit prevailing in society, the employer has committed a breach of the security obligation [vis-à-vis its employees]," said the judge in a translated statement.

Quantic Dream, who will pay €5,000 (~$5,538) directly to the ex-employee plus €2,000 (~$2,215) for legal fees, released a statement on Twitter saying it has no plans to appeal the decision.

This case is the latest against Quantic Dream, a studio that, according to reports from 2018, allegedly fosters a toxic work environment. The French judge who handed out the ruling called these images "homophobic, misogynistic, racist, or deeply vulgar" and condemned the studio for its inaction.