![]() ![]() The Microsoft acquisition caused upheaval, but it sounds like there's hope for a turnaround: One current developer said that changes at the studio could also mean that State of Decay 3 could finally start making real progress forward. Some employees see the changes as movement in the right direction, while others say Holt's continued presence is a roadblock.ĭespite these issues, many of the current and former employees interviewed for the report said they felt very positive about some aspects of the studio some said that while there's room for improvement, it's a very good place to work overall. The studio has also launched new training for managers, including a sexual harassment workshop. It also noted that changes at Undead Labs in recent years included "an entirely new leadership team" and that 42% of new hires in 2021 were female or non-binary, and 29% were from a visible minority group. Microsoft denied the allegations of nepotism, however, saying in a statement that "there is a rigorous and standardized hiring process in place at Undead Labs for all potential hires, with visibility and review from multiple studio members.” "It was really a pattern where women were uprooted and men were protected and helped," one current employee said. They accused him of fast-tracking friends from other studios to lead new Undead Labs offices in Florida and Illinois, and also claimed that he helped push out two women in high-level positions by failing to adequately support the and hiring men for higher-placed positions to absorb their roles. Multiple employees interviewed for the report put the blame for the problems largely on Philip Holt, Strain's replacement as studio head. "We had to have meeting etiquette rolled out because men kept talking over women so badly in all the meetings and belittling them," another source said. "What it was in actuality was studio leadership painting a DEI face for Microsoft, while women were consistently ignored, dismissed, interrupted, talked over, and blamed."Īnother said that women's opinions, even on basic matters, were often "outright rejected," and that "no one would listen to them, even women in director-level positions were outright ignored, talked over, and blamed for problems." "When I interviewed at the Lab, I was sold a studio in transition that was making a top priority," one said. Worse, nine of the former employees interviewed for the report also complained about misogyny, bullying and discrimination at the studio. ![]()
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