Publisher Focus Interactive has responded to “serious allegations” relating to the alleged mistreatment of staff at Estonian studio Limestone Games during the development of visually arresting beat-’em-up Aeon Must Die – highlighted during yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play.
Immediately following Aeon Must Die’s high-profile video showcase airing, a version of the striking announcement trailer appeared on YouTube, accompanied by a description alleging it had be created “with abuse, manipulation, theft.”
“People who have worked on every shot of this are no longer with the company holding IP rights,” the statement continued, “Some were not even paid for their work. This trailer has a pending conflict of IP. The real IP for the game was stolen from the creators via foul play.” The uploader also provided a link to a Dropbox folder containing a considerable amount of documentation claiming to reveal “the truth about development of this game”.
The provided documentation includes letters, audio files, and testimonies attributed to various members of Limestone Games staff. The group claims it was ultimately forced to leave the studio as a result of “unbearable” working conditions – specifically “endless crunch, harassment, abuse, corruption, and manipulation” – experienced during development of Aeon Must Die.