Mortal Kombat Studio NetherRealm Accused Of Taking Advantage Of Contracted Workers

Y'know, with the amount of horror stories coming around with big game developers, it kinda makes me not want to work on a game.

Its published by Warner Bros right? Yeah this doesn’t surprise me much. EA & Acti-Bliz are given the most vocal schtik but WB has been referred to as pure scum by some of their actions and decisions.

Yes, it is sad not being able to do the job you want and be treated with respect....

You see? This is why game design companies do things for their employees like give them unlimited snacks and drinks and lot's of vacation/sick days.

Sounds like my working environment

Not suprised at all by this. No wonder there are so many indie devs out there.

And this is why workers need to unionise. Only by demanding change will true change actually happen. Companies like this have gotten away with this for too long.

With every new AAA dev/publisher horror story popping up, we get one step closer to the industry being unionized. And once those get started, it's gonna be pretty hard to stop.

Ironically, all that could be avoided by pushing a culture of a better, less predatory/abusive work environment.

I wonder how much things would change if companies didn't have to care about breaking the bank every fiscal year in order to please shareholders?...

You can care about a project or a dream job as much as you want, but there's a biological reality to human beings, and if you go through enough stress for long enough, your body will eventually protest. I've lived overseas in third world countries and dealt with political and family and business crises for years: I know from experience that eventually that stress builds up for people no matter how much you care or think something is worth that stress. I've seen that affect people up close.

Unfortunately, game design is often an industry that expects you to work yourself to the bone on every single project without any real level of job security. You're replaceable. Since one individual can't change that, at some point, you as a person have to ask whether it's worth going into an industry that will most likely take a toll on your health and well-being. (Unionizing helps, but you don't get to snap your fingers and make there be a union without a fight) The answer is going to look different for different people.

Ed Boon the notorious liar overworks his employees. No surprises there.

Surprised there's no dude in a Shao Kahn costume walking around the offices with a sledgehammer yelling at the temp workers "Faster! Cheaper! Faster! Cheaper!"

Ummmm. Nothing says you have to work there, it's called competition oh, there's always somebody that's going to complain about anything and if they don't want to work there, they should go work somewhere else? There must be other people there that love it. everyone was not made to dig ditches, same with programming video games if they can't handle the rigors of the job than they should try something else they have may be happier in that new job.

This news would not have affected me much as a kid, but now that I know better I can make more ethical decisions about how I spend my money. There is no shortage of good games around, and any studio that exploits their people like this shall not see a single penny of my cash.

@Yorumi that is fair, but I have read a bit about this and the news seems to be genuine in most high-profile cases. Jim Sterling also has a few videos on the subject that are worth watching if you want to realise how badly some publishers treat their workers.

Yes, some are staying in spite of all that. Yet sometimes, wives beaten by their husband still stay with them. This doesn't make it right!

NetherRealm doesnt sound like the friendliest company to work for just going by the name.

Wayforward on the other hand....

It's not just the video game industry. But IT in general.
We just don't get the same public exposure

@RickD ‘Workality’

They put microtransactions into a 70€ game with a 40€ seasons pass (containing just 6 characters, which will probably be even more expensive if bought separately).
Oh, popular character Shao Khan was held hostage as a preorder bonus and now can be bought for 6€.

They sell their 22,5 GB game on a 8 GB card.

Can't say i'm surprised.

This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.

Terrible if it proves to be the case.

It’s enough to put me off buying it for the UK switch release.

Oh no. Mk11 effectively amounts to essentially an asset flip of the same terrible formula since the last iteration.

What exactly are these people whining about? That they had to touch up some textures from MK10? They were forced to design idiotic skins to peddle in their cash shop?

I don't feel sorry for people that lack the self respect and willingly take part in these slimy projects. It's no secret how Warner brothers does business. You made your own beds...lie in them. A texture artist is as much to blame as a design lead. They willingly accepted the work and contributed to another microtransaction filled pile of garbage.

Getting tired of this spin. No one's forcing anyone to do anything. None of these artists or writers etc are being held hostage. And it isnt exactly a secret how the companies they choose to work for operate.

@Otokiwa

Also husbands beaten by their wives

Oooh, buuu huuu. I don't care, as long as they make good games. Maybe if the workers don't stir out the window all the time, maybe some games would not be so delayed. Make game, don't complain

Civil litigation get over here!

This is horrible and has to stop. Abusive work environments and conditions must be eliminated!

There's only a few of them, but the people here defending practices like this are beyond pathetic.

@Yorumi Exactly. I do not know at all whether this is true or not, but it feels like this story and many like it, when you try to validate it and follow the sources int turns into "A is reporting that B is reporting that C is reporting that such and such happened, according to D" and so on. And at least in my experience I know there are people who just like to start fires, so it's difficult to know if in the end it's just all due to people like that.

Temp: Boss, can I take my lunch break now?
Boss: Never!
Shao Khan: Mwahahaha, superb!
Temp: I need to have Friday off for my daughter's birthday.
Boss: Forget it!
Shao Khan: Excellent. FINISH HIM!
Boss: Also, after you work the weekend, you're fired.
Shao Khan: BOSS WINS. FATALITY.
Ed Boon: Toasty!!!

As someone who worked as a temporary employee for years I can say that this type of practice is fairly common, doesn't make it ok but generally temp laborers are taken advantage of, at least at the several jobs I worked as one. You should be treated the same regardless of whether you work for the company full time or not, though in this case it doesn't seem like they are being treated much better.

@Danrenfroe2016 ...Are you suggesting that some people are 'made' to dig ditches? What constitutes a person that is 'made' to do backbreaking work for little pay? Do you not think they would do any other sort of work if they could?

@Yorumi look, there's always 2 sides to the story. The reason most people dont report this stuff, is the industry can blackball you easily. Nobody wants to hire somebody who essentially "tattles" on you to the gov't or some other authority. They easily see you as a "problem child". Its that fear of never being hired again that scares everyone. You want to work in industry you studied for, that you're passionate about. To have years go down the drain over a complaint you filed is devastating to say the least. So you'd be naive to think the industry doesn't try to steer the culture in that direction. Now that it's set and with social media everywhere, you can find it out these things, but so can corporations and hr managers and recruiters. Sure they could find programming work outside the industry but the whole point you got into programming was to make games. It's your passion your career. To me that's like trying to get into law enforcement and having to settle for mall security. It's not the same so you keep your head down until it's done and complain anonymously because you've signed NDAs which carry over even after you've left.

Get out the waabulance. You know what I’ve done when I’ve worked at crap jobs? FIND A NEW IOB! The gaming industry acts as if they’re the only ones with ungrateful bosses, unrealistic deadlines and companies out for themselves. In my experience, it’s every industry that acts this way. Take a ride in high finance job like I have and you’ll see the same thing. I’m not saying it’s rigjht, but this constant whining gets old. You ain’t slaves, find a new job if it sucks.

Crunch is big problem with the video game industry nowadays. It sucks to see these employees going through really tough times and taking an emotional toll on their brains. I hope things do change for the future

Can't say I'm surprised at the tone of some of the post here.... Hopefully, conditions change for the better in these toxic work places

Amazon had been treating me bad at the workplace too but I can't leave or else I won't get good benefits. If it weren't for those I would had left a long time ago.

Just to add extra info Ryan:
https://twitter.com/HiRezRomanova/status/1122189923128348672
https://twitter.com/HiRezRomanova/status/1122045815827128320

Wow, I was going to buy MK11, but I can't support a company that treats their employees this badly.

@Agent721 you know it's only been like this for the last 40 years in general. Greed has out right replaced respect for the employee, dignity, common sense. Why do you assume its whining? Isn't it simply bringing it to our attention? Whining is complaining in a petulant way. Petulant being childishly sulky and bad tempered. Are you telling us to simply accept it and move on to next equally terrible employer? You may have done fine in that kind of environment and that's pretty neat dude, but high finance isn't programming.

@FX102A EA and WB are pretty much the worse game companies ever.

@mist Hey, I don't want to go off topic, but just precise that according to stats, wives are the victims 90% of the times. The other 10% are divided between 3% of men being beaten by their wives, and the 7% left being men beated by...well, men. Getting back to the subject of overwork in the gaming industry, I'll just say that it is not because one is able to do something (like working too much), that it is good for that person.

There’s overwork everywhere. Living in Japan I fight with it everyday.
People commit suicide here because they are worked to death. Literally.
Overwork is one of the reasons I decided to work from home as a freelancer. At least that way the overwork is more bearable.
I hate overwork and companies that impose it on its workers with a passion. Life is much more than work.

This is why I hate it when gamers are quick to claim "lazy developers" when a game doesn't hit there expectations.

People have no idea how many hours developers may have put in.

This is how modern companies conduct business. It is not centralized to the video game industry. I work in film and television, and UNPAID interns are hired with no actual intention of hire all the time. 12 hour days, unpaid. It has become a part of these industries bottom line.

@Yorumi One issue with assuming that a group is pointlessly mad is that it can be as much of a downward spiral as conspiracy theories.

Like, I get "healthy skepticism". It's very important to not take everything at face value, because you dont know who could be lying. But at a certain point, it stops being "healthy skepticism" and more an excuse to not even try to do anything.

It becomes more about avoiding being wrong even once at the expense of trying to do right at all.

@Yorumi What's truly irrational is trying to find any reason to dismiss stories like this out of hand and purely make the assumption they are being told by disgruntled employees who were fired. That alone basically reduces the stories to being "they were being mean, so I'll say this!" without even examining anything.

You say they don't make logical sense, but then again, what do you or any of the rest of us know what the inside of NetherRealm is like in terms of corporate culture and working conditions? Stuff like this is literally our only true insight in a lot of cases and it's purely because most are afraid to come out due to the possibility of retaliation, or are afraid to stand up for themselves in a bad situation cause it means losing their job if they rebel.

When stories like this start coming out en masse out of developers, we should be concerned and examine it instead of turning up our collective noses and calling it the whining of mad people. That isn't going to help anyone or anything move forward in the industry.

@Wavey84 Self-centered and selfish describe you perfectly.

@Wavey84 Nice try at projection. You've failed. Caring about others and their health isn't being self-centered and selfish. Your view of "I don't care so long as the game is good" is. It's an "ends justify the means" viewpoint.

-and it's utterly pathetic and stupid, and shows how thoughtless you are.

@Wavey84 Alright, I'll avoid megaman then too, thanks.

@maruse Make sure you worry about your health. Say no to overtime and overworked hours. Your mental and physical health is far more important than a bit of extra yen.

@Yorumi So why aren’t you giving those who are reporting them the benefit of the doubt. The reason why we are hearing more about this is because other individuals have already came forward. It’s not a “moral panic”. A moral panic is parents in the 90s thinking their children were being influenced by satanist. This is but a microcosm of a larger problem. The larger problem being unhealthy working conditions and shoddy cost cutting measures.

@Yorumi I will give you that. Fair points.

@Wavey84 I'm older than 24. I just never liked Mega Man. Never liked Street Fighter that much either. I assume employees are treated right, until I hear otherwise. It's bad to assume every company treats their workers horribly. There are plenty of good companies too.
Also, I never said it was easy. It is a lot of hard work with much positions needing to be filled. However, hard work doesn't=bad work enviorments. Unless you're like EA or Konami.

I was on the fence about buying mk 11 due to the smartphone-esque micro transactions, but hearing yet another greedy dev story seals it for me. I’m busy with dragons dogma and red dead redemption II right now anyway.

@Wavey84 Nintendo is a great place to work. Back during the U era, when profits were WAY down, the CEO reduced his paycheck so that he wouldn't have to layoff any employees, AND he gave his best workers a raise. Even in their darkest times, Nintendo really shown that they treat their workers like family.

However, Nintendo of Russia isn't as good as Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Japan. The Russian CEO of Nintendo is racist and treats his workers like crap. They even caught him calling his employees "retarded" and "losers" on a Nintendo Russia Livestreams. The workers were trying to be professional the entire time. When he found out he was on camera, he demanded they took it down. Luckily the internet got it back to show the world how horrible it is there.

@Yorumi Yes, we should live in "the world of evidence", but not every case is a legal one. Especially considering some issues lean in the realm of "Legally safe, but morally/ethically dubious". Additionally, not every issue is going to result in having the hard evidence in the same way a literal smoking gun or paper trail might.

Crunch isnt technically illegal, so long as workers are still getting paid. Stuffing temps in a room might be legal if it's simply up to fire code. Stringing folks along also isnt technically illegal, so long as it doesnt conflict with signed contracts.

In cases where these wont have much of any legal standing (much less is worth the time and money to take to court), the court of public opinion is sometimes all they have in hopes of seeing change and making certain acts illegal in the future. That's kind of where the whole "moral" part comes into play... which then gets downplayed by camps who think "moral" isnt enough reason to seek change.

As for the whole, "The media is proven liars", that's yet another scapegoat to encourage not hearing anything. "The media" is literally hundreds of different outlets comprised of thousands of people. They're not one single entity working under one agenda, try as some want to believe.

@Godlike_Virus And if they don't finish on time"You will die!!! ☝️😡👈😡☝️😡👈😡☝️😡👈😡"

Makes me want to boycott gaming altogether. But wait... I already do that with all games but indies, this being only one of the reasons.

Lately been news about horrible working conditions in game companies. It's disgusting. It's good that there are news about these things so that other stakeholders can step in to hold them into account for their actions. If those greedy game companies won't listen employees alone, they have to listen if customers also step in to support them. Remember customers, if you know about it, don't let them get away with it for free. NetherRealms reputation is certainly ruined for me, and I definitely won't be buying Mortal Kombat 11 (well wouldn't buy anyway, since don't like Mortal Kombat, but you get the point).

@Rekiotsu I'm with you. I'm not buying anything from them until they treat their employees right.

@Scollurio Nintendo doesn't do that, so you would also be fine playing Nintendo IPs like Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Golden Sun, Starfox, Smash Bros, Kid Icarus, Metroid, Baten Kaitos. Nintendo employees in NA and JP (the two biggest divisions) are treated very well.

@Timsworld2 Nintendo cares more about their fans than Sony and Microsoft. Most of the stuff we want, end up coming. Sometimes it's too much for them to keep up, but you can tell they try. We have been getting amazing games from both new IPs and the most loved series.
Smash Ultimate, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Metroid 4, Zelda BoTW, Animal Crossing new, Luigi's Mansion 3, Links Awakening HD just to name most of the most loved series having amazing new games out/coming.

They also directly talk to their fans. You cannot deny how amazing Reggie was for Nintendo. He interacted and grew with the community. Sony and Microsoft didnt do half the stuff Reggie did.

They also learned from the wii u. They dont censor their games, or third party games anymore.

They even give you gold coins to BUY GAMES, earned from both physical and digital. Sure it's a little, but it adds up overtime if you save it. Sony and Microsoft don't do that.

The biggest problems they have is the voice chat app and messaging system. That is a pretty minor problem when talking about how a company treats their fans.

@Morrow Sure, which I am!

@Scollurio Cool! Glad to head it.

@Deanster101 lol I feel this is the kick in the ass crossover Phoenix wright needs. Ace Attorney Kombat not to be confused with ace combat lol

@Morrow lol i see you conveniently avoided abusive Nintendo of Russia 😂
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/11/feature_inside_the_twisted_and_abusive_culture_of_yasha_haddajis_nintendo_russia
And all the stupid Nintendo takedowns as why some people wouldn't risk making videos unless wario got some money.

@MrVariant Lol I see you conviently avoided reading my whole comment. I did mention Nintendo of Russia. Either that or you are looking at my newer comment. Scroll up more. I mentioned Russian branch

"However, Nintendo of Russia isn't as good as Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Japan. The Russian CEO of Nintendo is racist and treats his workers like crap. They even caught him calling his employees "retarded" and "losers" on a Nintendo Russia Livestreams. The workers were trying to be professional the entire time. When he found out he was on camera, he demanded they took it down. Luckily the internet got it back to show the world how horrible it is there."
Next time read a persons full comment before jumping to conclusions.

Being a temp worker at Netherrealm is the real Fatality.

@Morrow you just said I looked at your newest comment. I can only reply to one thing at a time. Thanks for mentioning NoR sucks. Mission accomplished 😂, though we both know that czar will be there longer than Bowser. I'm sure you probably agree that the takedowns without Wario getting a cut were bad.

@MrVariant No prob. I love Nintendo but I'm no fanboy. I'll call their shiz anytime they do something wrong. xD I really hope he gets fired, but Nintendo does seem to ignore the russian branch, so sadly it could take a while.
Takedowns without Wario? What do you mean? I'm confused lol.

@Morrow I don't know if Nintendo still does takedowns of videos that get monetized unless they're a part of the Nintendo creators club so they get a piece of the pie. https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/6/16612080/youtube-nintendo-super-mario-odyssey-demonetization

"windowless box"? It sounds like a cubicle. Is it hard in the industry? Absolutely, but many programming jobs are great and it depends on what work you do and what you accept. It is fairly normal to work long hours on a project and when you get close to the delivery date you work your tail off.

You should probably mention the fact that one of those disgruntled employees made a complaint with the EEOC and their investigation into it found no evidence that there was anything going on.

That's kinda an important piece of information.

There's no doubt serious issues of exploitation. But there are also activists who are pushing for unions for ideological political reasons, who are bound to exaggerate the facts. Skeptical reporting is necessary.

Sadly this is probably similar to most jobs here in America. I know this is how my days go.

@Timsworld2 Uhm, every console maker ever eventually shuts down their servers to promote their new console...lol. 3ds and Wii U got miiverse shutdown because Switch was coming out. They want you to buy the new console. They even said they no longer plan on bringing first party 3ds games. 3ds is officially dead. Wii U has been dead for a while.
Well, the gold coin service was MADE for the Switch, so thats no surprise it's harder for systems besides Switch.
Get a switch and Smash Ultimate, then your problems are solved. Ultimate is way better than 4 anyways.
These problems you are stating aren't problems, it's the natural cycle of console companies. Ps2 got their servers shut down, original Xbox got their servers shut down, a lot of 360 game servers have shut down even though 360 servers are up. The only reason 360 servers are up because Xbox one sold like trash compared to 360. PS3 game servers have shut down for a lot of them.

@MrVariant They updated their policy finally. You are allowed to show Nintendo games/footage as long as you give your own take on it/opinions/talk over it. Silent let's plays will still get demonitized, but as long as you talk, it's fine.

@Morrow thanks for updating me. Guess Nintendo finally saw value of the free advertising.

It is kinda weird that Disney afternoon collection has no Nintendo release yet are basically improved ports of NES games. Just got it yesterday and love it more than the NES mini given the modes, galleries and rewinds to even make talespin playable. I guess that version would just belong to Capcom/Disney. Just shows things can get complicated later on.

@MrVariant No prob. I may have grew up with the older systems, but I don't really care about games older than GameCube/Ps2. I don't get nostalgia for games. I like modern games more.

@Morrow I generally do indie and have fun with humble bundles or sales. I find AAA generally overpriced and derivative; I even prefer game jolt which is usually free too. The classic market is supersaturated as well with Indies or others making demakes/retro stuff. Just gotta be careful of microtransactions as well, especially AAA and mobile.

@MrVariant You're right about that. Indie is awesome, but finding great indie games among the cesspool of money scam games is annoying to say the least.
Also, that's why I mainly stick with Japanese developers. For the most part, they aren't money hungry like AAA american devs. Although some Japanese companies are a little money hungry, and in that case, I avoid those games.
Plus I just think there is more soul put into Japanese games over the past few years. American devs are all about monetization via mmicro transactions or dlc that costs more than the main game. It also doesn't help that AAA games usually get like 80,000 patches, rather than waiting to bring out a more polished game.

@Timsworld2 Then you could say the same about Sony and Xbox when they shut down servers on their older platforms.
Also, you do realize it would have been way more complicated than just 'patches' right? They would have had to impliment an entire new way for messaging, screenshots, and invites. That isn't something that would have been easy to do. That would have cost a lot of time and even money to do. I think you're expecting way too much, rather than them being lazy. You need to think about how difficult development can be. Why would they put that much time and spend money on the failure of the U? As far as the 3ds, it's been around forever. It had its time to reign, and they supported the hell out of it. You should have seen this coming, because it happens to everyone console ever eventually. All companies eventually shut down their older systems servers to promote their new systems.
They care about their fans, but they ARE still a business that needs to make money. Sell your Wii u and save up for a switch with the money you got from the U. Actually, if you sold your 3ds and U, you will prob have enough to buy the Switch right away.
Not everyone can afford an Xbox one or PS4. So with that logic we should just call all console devs lazy.
The gold coin service was made for the switch day one. 3ds already has a rewards program. With 3ds rewards you can get discounts or free games. Switch doesn't get that, but you don't hear me complaining. Switch doesn't get free online like wii u or 3ds either. So it would be bad for switch owners if 3ds and U owners got the same rewards that Switch owners did.

@Timsworld2 What functions are you talking about then? Actually, MK8D has new chars, new levels, and an updated battle mode. Hyrule Warriors has ALL content from U and 3ds combined.
There's loads of reasons to hate the Wii u. It has a commercial failure and put Nintendo in a bad financial spot. It had virtually no games, and it had major problems with censorship. It is region locked. It has forced gamepad controls for Pro Controller supported games. It literally is one of the, If not the most weakest lineup of games in any Nintendo system ever. Xenoblade X was the only great game on the Wii U. Both first party and third party sucked on the Wii u. The U is trash compared to the Switch.

@Timsworld2 Yeah, that stuff would take a lot of time and some money to do. You have to realize that. DKTP and Mario U got new chars, but only one. So yeah, I agree with you on that one.
You seem to think that 'caring about fans' means they have to be flawless every single time. They make mistakes, I'm not saying they don't.
They made SO many mistakes on the Wii U, and they paid the price for it. They lost so much money because of it. But they learn from their mistakes and do better. They have been doing so much better with Switch than any other system they ever made.
Sure, the voice chat and lack of messaging is annoying, but a third party is taking care of that via a software app to download on switch within 2019-2020. However, that's really the only problem with Switch, and that's pretty good, considering when you look at the problems on the other platforms. Ps4 has crazy censorship, banned crossplay, banning accounts, no reward system, and expensive online. Xbox One has expensive online, no exclusives, barely any japanese games, is basically a third party machine, and trying to push Game Pass.

@Timsworld2 Yes, yes it is. Because you keep ignoring the part of [time and money.] It's not worth it. They would be complex patches. You are thinking of what YOU want and not how hard it would be on them.
You also act like you can play everything that's on Switch on U or 3ds--- Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Astral Chain, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Daemon x Machina, Luigi's Mansion 3, Ninjala, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Splatoon 2, Smash Ultimate, The World Ends With You: Final Remix, Super Mario Party, Link's Awakening HD, exc. These are ALL Switch exclusives that won't be coming to 3ds or Wii u.
Not to mention the stellar 3rd party support such as even Dragon Quest 11 S, which includes loads of exclusive content only available to Switch.
If you are hoping to see these come over to previous Nintendo systems, you're stuck in Dreamland. (Hah. Kirby reference.)

@Timsworld2 U and 3ds owners aren't worth going the extra mile anymore, yes. 3ds is old, and U is a horrible system. They supported 3ds for a long time, they don't owe you anything. U is a colossial failure.
They ARE going the extra mile for Switch owners, as they should.
You are on the last gen systems that have both been replaced by the Switch. It happens to all consoles and handhelds eventually. Since the Switch is both, both the 3ds and U are being replaced by the Switch.
You want to see how much Nintendo cares? Get a Switch.
The sooner you accept the reality of this the better. This isn't just Nintendo. This is gaming industry 101. It happens to every console and handheld ever.
All get replaced and eventually the previous gets servers and services shut down.
U got it's service shut down because of how bad it is, and 3ds got shut down because of how old it is.
Sell them both and move on to Switch.
Your complaining is not going to get you anywhere, and is not going to get you anything.
You are being way too entitled.
I owned a 3ds and U myself. I love the 3ds but when miiverse got shut down I sold both my U and 3ds because it was the start of the new generation NX, which would eventually be Switch. When the next one comes, the previous is forgotten a few years (or sooner) after.
Welcome to the video game industry.