If it seems like these excuses are pulled right from a games industry PR crisis management playbook, it's not that far from the truth. When three different outlets collaborated on
reports about Quantic Dream's toxic studio culture, the studio released a statement strenuously objecting to the accusation:
"Inappropriate conduct or practices have no place at Quantic Dream. We have taken and always will take such grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Quantic Dream. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making video games."
On its face, that's a pretty solid denial. It speaks to the values and priorities that people upset about the allegations would care about. The focus is not on the accusations, but on Quantic Dream and its positive qualities, its collective passion for creating games.
From a PR standpoint, it's a pretty shrewd and effective move. Or at least, it would have been if it weren't basically stolen.
Let's contrast Quantic Dream's remarks with the statement Naughty Dog released just three months earlier, when it offered its own strenuous objection to
a former employee's story about being sexually harassed by a lead and reporting it to HR, who promptly fired him.
"Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games."