Telltale Games closed down without warning last Friday, news that came as a shock not only to the wider gaming community, but also the developers who worked there, who were let go without warning. Firing someone without notice, and no severance pay, of course, is a gross violation of the labor laws in the United States, and it seems a former employee of the company is now taking them to court over this.
The complaint is a class action lawsuit filed in the San Francisco Federal Court by Vernie Roberts, who has filed it on behalf of himself and all of his fellow laid-off workers. Roberts alleges that Telltale’s termination of its employees’ employment, without warning and without severance, is a violation of the WARN Act, and requests a jury trial for damages equaling their wages for 60 days’ worth of employment, plus benefits, plus interest.
It’s a reasonable position, and a case they would win. Except if Telltale files for bankruptcy, I’m pretty sure they will be held liable for this. It’s a messy situation, and I am not happy at Telltale choosing to offer continuing The Walking Dead somehow, while still ignoring its workers’ rights. I just hope the hundreds of employees affected can get over this mess quickly.
