A few months ago it had come to light that Leslie Benzies, Rockstar North’s president, had left the company. He had been on sabbatical from Rockstar since 2014, and when he left the official line was that he had decided not to return. Leslie, who has overseen production of Grand Theft Auto games since GTA III, is accusing the Houser brothers of purposefully forcing him out so as to not pay royalties and is suing them as well as Take Two Interactive and Rockstar.
According to a statement by Leslie Benzies legal representatives when he tried to return to work in April 2015 he was told to leave. From then until earlier this year it appears both parties were trying to solve this, but that appears to have broken down, leading to this case.
Benzies also claims that the press release sent out regarding his leaving the company was inaccurate, breaching other contractual obligations. This could go all the way to the courtroom, or it could be settled outside.
Update: Rockstar Games have since issued a statement addressing the lawsuit as follows:
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 favor. 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.
Source: GameInformer
The Lone Steven
I doubt it will end up in the court room. Rockstar doesn’t need another lawsuit on their hands and it sounds like miscommunication between the two parties.
Also, Lindsy Lohan is still trying to sue Rockstar over copyright infringement because apparently, the art used for GTA5 of a generic blond woman is her despite Rockstar having proof that it was based on someone else who gave their permission.
gazzagb
Sounds like another Zampella and West Infinity Ward/Activision incident.