Rockstar Games, the publisher behind the multimillion-selling Grand Theft Auto series has issued a response to the $150m (£105m) lawsuit launched against it by former employee, Leslie Benzies.
In the brief statement, the company dismisses the allegations made in the 70-page suit, launched by Benzies through US law firm, Locke Lord. Benzies claims to have been encouraged to take a sabbatical in 2014, only to discover that Sam and Dan Houser, the founders of Rockstar, were conspiring to have him removed from the company. He claims that the duo sought to renege on a 2009 royalties deal which would ensure Benzies retained financial parity with the brothers. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar has since launched a counteraction against Benzies.
Through a terse statement Rockstar said:
“Leslie Benzies was a valued employee of our company for many years. Sadly, the events that culminated in his resignation ultimately stem from his significant performance and conduct issues. Despite our repeated efforts to address and resolve these issues amicably both before and after his departure, Leslie has chosen to take this route in an attempt to set aside contract terms to which he previously agreed on multiple occasions. His claims are entirely without merit and in many instances downright bizarre, and we are very confident this matter will be resolved in our favour.
“A core ethos since Rockstar’s inception has been the concept of ‘the team’. It is deeply disappointing and simply wrong for Leslie to attempt to take personal credit for what has always been the tremendous efforts of the entire Rockstar team, who remain hard at work delivering the most immersive and engaging entertainment experiences we can for our fans.
“We do not intend to comment further on this matter.”
Benzies was lead producer and a creative director of the Grand Theft Auto series since 1999 when work began on Grand Theft Auto III. He was also president of Rockstar North, the Edinburgh studio responsible for much of the development on the series. He claims that his unfair dismissal led to the loss of over $150m in royalties. Take-Two Interactive has stated in its counter action that Benzies chose to leave.
His lawsuit makes many allegations about Rockstar and specifically Sam Houser, who he labels “incapable of completing large scale and complex games” without Benzies’ supervision. The suit alleges that Sam Houser became suspicious that Benzies “wanted to take over the company”, when the producer arranged for his name to appear last in the game credits to GTA Online, a multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto V. Previously Houser’s name was always the last to appear in Rockstar production credits.
A press release issued by Locke Lorde stated: “Mr. Benzies’ removal after years of receiving compensation identical to the Housers was the product of what turned out to be a lengthy deception by Sam Houser. The complaint describes Sam Houser’s mounting resentments after many years of high praise.”
