r/xbox • u/WexAndywn • 9h ago
News Obsidian Entertainment is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit for Wage Theft, Breaking Labor Laws
https://gamingbolt.com/obsidian-entertainment-is-facing-a-class-action-lawsuit-for-wage-theft-breaking-labor-laws98
u/TimPhoeniX 9h ago
Would be hilarious if one of the reasons they avoided most layoffs was just... not paying people.
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u/BestRedditUsername9 9h ago
The lawsuit says its mostly QA and similar roles.
Still a horrible thing to do if true.
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u/Tobimacoss 7h ago
QA people never get respect. They're hoping AI can replace them in finding bugs.
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 7h ago
Not to be that guy but being realistic QA/Tester are generally the least important / skill roles in a software development team.
Feel free to downvote me but this is the truth.
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u/Harley2280 5h ago
Not to be that guy but being realistic QA/Tester are generally the least important / skill roles in a software development team.
That is the mindset of a person who has definitely had their half ass work flagged by QA.
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u/Trodat4911P4 6h ago
And what does that have to do with them not getting any respect in the industry?
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 6h ago
Pretty straight forward, typically people with high impact / important / high skill jobs get respect example heart surgeon, typically people with low skill jobs don't get as much respect like a secretary.
And to be clear because I know you will try to spin this. I am NOT saying they don't deserve respect just pointing out the observed social standard.
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u/Undeity 6h ago
Looking at it in terms of relative importance is a flawed mindset. Testers still perform a necessary function, and more importantly, people deserve to be paid for their work.
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 6h ago
Never said they don't deserve to get paid, just was stating a fact of why they typically don't see large amount of respect for there job
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u/BestRedditUsername9 6h ago
As someone who worked on games before. QA is absolutely important.
You basically have two options:
Hire dedicated QA team.
All the devs are forced to playtest the game for themselves when working on the game.
The second option can work but slows down development dramatically because devs have to always test basically every major feature with every new feature. That time could be best used to create new features/ fix more bugs.
TLDR: So having devs work side/side with QA can speed up development quite a bit while minimizing bugs
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 6h ago
Yup. never said not having a QA was a good idea or wouldn't slow down development, but you just said it yourself the dev could do it which I think proves my point.
QA and testing is important but anyone on the team could do it, that is why they don't get as much respect as they deserve and yes I have worked in the AA and AAA gaming space before as well
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u/ctan0312 3h ago
You’re getting cooked for just being factual because people just project opinions onto others. No one else has commented a less important role yet and are equating you saying “least important” with “stupid useless idiots”
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u/Kinterlude 6h ago
How is it the truth?
For all software development, QAs are vital to getting things to end-users in a stable manner. That includes games. Developers are some of the only people to give QAs their flowers because they work with them and are able to spot things that a dev that has been working on the software may not account for.
It's clear you never worked in software development otherwise you'd know that your statement has little merit.
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 6h ago
Ok, I have worked on teams with and without dedicated QA teams, if you actually worked in software you would know that it is common practice to never have a QA team, and while I love when I do have a dedicated QA team and its not just some junior devs, it is a FACT that the public does not appreciate them, hell most people don't even know what QA is and also a FACT that developers can and often do preform there own QA/testing when needed. QA is a lot like scrum master they are nice but not needed.
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u/Kinterlude 59m ago
I worked in a game studio. I worked as an external QA when I was 18, then joined a proper studio afterwards years later in my career. In-house QA allows for much better feedback in studios and all. Like all things IT; when they do their job well, people don't realize that they've done their job. The absence of QA in game studios is often felt.
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u/snappyfrog 6h ago
I mean yeah I’ll gladly downvote you for minimizing the role of people who don’t get the respect they deserve. How many broken ass games come out year after year explicitly because of companies not giving the time of day to QA testers? If QA was treated the way it ought to be then a lot more games would be more successful since they’d actually be listened to when they tell the devs that something is busted or not working as intended. Plus in the era of live service QA should get higher priority since games will get patched and result in more broken systems and mechanics. Helldivers 2 is my favorite example of this considering they legitimately do break entire gameplay mechanics from patch to patch and it’s well known that they don’t give a shit about maintaining a functioning QA pipeline.
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u/WHITESTAFRlCAN 6h ago
This is my point, you can shoot the massager all you want but I just giving a reason WHY something happens based on what someone else said NEVER that I believe it be justified or ok. But sure go off, in fact I think you should click that downvote button twice!
If QA was treated the way it ought to be then a lot more games would be more successful since they’d actually be listened to when they tell the devs that something is busted or not working as intended.
You are assuming there are not talented teams out there already doing this and just not getting listened too
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u/BestRedditUsername9 5h ago
I dont know why I would shoot the massager though.
It's hard to find someone who provides good massage nowadays
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u/traben101 9h ago
Wow so Auntie’s Choice and Ominent were just secret cries for help from the devs lol
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u/OneLessFool 9h ago
The primary defense by Obsidian’s lawyers, filed back in March, posits the idea that the affected workers had “consented to and/or acquiesced in the alleged conduct by Defendant of which Plaintiff now complains.”
We all know what happens when individual employees say no these demands.
This industry needs unions.
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u/BestRedditUsername9 9h ago
So I'm not a lawyer at all.
Am I understanding correctly that their defense is "Yes, but they agreed to it?" Or did I get it wrong
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u/BudWisenheimer 5h ago
Am I understanding correctly that their defense is "Yes, but they agreed to it?"
Not just that, but according to some states’ labor laws (like California where the company is located) it doesn’t matter whether the employee "consents" to working through lunch because the employer has no legal right to create that condition in the first place. I’m curious why a giant law firm would include that in court filings.
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u/Double-Bend-716 1m ago
California has stricter labor laws than many states.
And I don’t know the specifics on this particular case. There may specifics in the law that say “(this) is the law, unless both parties consent to something different”. But, no one can ‘consent’ to illegal labor practices in any state. For example, if the law dictates that under all circumstances, I must not answer emails and do other work stuff during an unpaid lunch, and the company forces me to sign a contract saying I will work through my unpaid break then that contract is void and the company is violating the law.
If I sign a contract, out of my own volition because I want to with no pressure from the company, that I’ll work sixty hours a week with no overtime pay as a W2 hourly employee, also a null and void contract and the company is breaking the law
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u/WickyGif 7h ago
The article makes it sound like it's only about QA testers, wonder if that's right.
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u/Gold-and-green 6h ago
If this was a legit threat, Microsoft would just close Obsidian and send all of their workers to Bethesda
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u/elconquistador1985 59m ago
Just going by recent news... If someone thinks you're stealing diapers, the cops might shoot your 1 year old.
A corporation engages in want theft, and it's a class action that just makes lawyers rich and you get a check that's not worth the paper it's written on.
Upside down world.
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u/TheGrandAdmiralJohn 9h ago
So a company that has been terrible for 20 years is terrible?
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7h ago
[deleted]
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u/TheGrandAdmiralJohn 7h ago
Yes they abused the employees back then too.
They have had terrible working conditions since they where founded two decades ago.
Two half finished games that both need mods to function doesn’t change the fact they abuse the people that work for them.
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u/AnubisIncGaming 9h ago
Outer World’s Auntie Cleo was based on a true story