Scavengers Studio has issued a response to allegations that went public earlier this week, citing a predatory and toxic work involvement centering around creative director Simon Darveau and his then-romantic partner CEO Amélie Lamarche.
The original report by GameIndustry.biz detailed a dark side of the company (substantiated by conversations with nine current and former employees of Scavengers Studio), with many of the problems allegedly starting from the top with Darveau. In an environment that was teeming with creativity and excitement over games like Darwin Project and Season, the article revealed that the studio's culture was tinged with toxicity, with complaints that women have been specifically targeted under the Scavengers umbrella.
From sexual harassment to physical assault, the allegations against Darveau and his partner are severe, so much so that the creative director has been suspended and the studio itself has issued a statement.
"Following the toxic workplace allegations brought forward in the media, Scavengers Studio wishes to apologize for the harm caused," reads the official statement from Lamarche herself. "Allegations such as these are serious, and we are committed to doing better for our employees, our fans, and our partners."
Upon hearing of the allegations against the creative director, the company held an emergency meeting with the Board of Directors to discuss what to do from here. While a larger plan is in the works to see how this escalated unchecked and what the culture will be from here on out, the team did detail a course of action effective immediately:
The statement continues, saying "To ensure a transparent, fair and unbiased process, I offered to temporarily step down from my role as Chief Executive for the duration of the audit. I will remain available to support the studio’s normal course of business.
"In the meantime, we ask for the community’s patience and understanding as we go through this process. The Season team has poured their hearts into the project. We have full confidence in their creative direction and will continue to support the amazing work of our talented team."
The original report by GameIndustry.biz reveals abuse that dates back to 2018 (so far) with instances of verbal and sexual assault, public degradation and objectification of Scavenger-employed women, and even a recorded moment where Darveau was allegedly drunk at a holiday party in 2019 and groped several women employees in full view of the company. One of the women groped during that time says that she resigned from the company the following Monday.
Regarding the alleged relationship of Darveau and Lamarche, the employees that spoke with GI.biz stated that there was always a concern about a conflict of interest. Given that there was no effective HR department set up during this time, there was no real avenue for employees to express those concerns, especially when many of these women described Darveau as someone who had "lots of charisma" and because of that, he "gets away with a lot." One employee even went so far as to say that Lamarche was even worse because "She covered up a lot of what he did and what he does."
While it's good that immediate steps are being taken and accountability is there, how a culture like this is cultivated for so long is a much bigger issue. We've seen this time and time again, most recently with the Me Too movement that Ubisoft publicly went through back in Summer of 2020. How does this level of abuse keep happening? Can people safely speak up? These are questions that this industry cannot hide from, and as similar reports abuse continue to surface, we must work to confront them directly.
[Source: Scavengers Studio]
Destiny 2 changed a lot with Beyond Light, but what other changes are on the way before the end of Year 4? Bungie recently outlined what Guardians can expect to stay and what they can expect to leave in a recent developer update, including the status of Wrathborn Hunts, what's happening with Crow, and more.
Seasonal content comes and goes, that's nothing new, but the fear of missing out can always strike, especially for returning players that may have taken an extended sabbatical. So let's talk about what is staying until the end of Year 4 from the current Season of the Hunt, and what's leaving at the end of this season.
With a few more expansions on the way and tons of undisclosed plans players have yet to learn about, the shift of content is now more important than ever before. Bungie knows that this has created a little weirdness for the current season and what that means when the cycle renews once more. Since the Season of the Hunt was designed using the old model in the beginning, the changes going forward are a little different than usual, but that's a big reason why the studio says that Crow (formerly known as Uldren) is sticking around a little longer than expected.
Bungie continued its latest update, saying "You may see other anomalies involving Crow in Season 13 as he'll be moving to a new destination while also remaining on the Tangled Shore to enable Season of the Hunt content tied to his inventory. Season 13 should avoid these rough edges as its content has been designed from the outset to remain throughout Year 4."
For those that played Season of Arrivals, you may remember those delectable Umbral Engrams. Though those left for awhile, they are also back, allowing for Guardians to roll for the stats they want with certain weapon and armor pieces. Because the reception to Umbral Engrams was so positive, Bungie decided to tweak them a little more based on that feedback before bringing them back in full force for Season 13 and beyond.
"While the new Seasonal activity will always provide the fastest path to earning new rewards, we want to ensure that regardless of how you spend your time in Destiny, Umbral Engrams allow you to chase new rewards," the studio added.
Similar to how Umbral Engrams worked in Season of Arrivals, the drops are varied in a way that players can work with to get the rolls they want. For those that are looking to farm these to their heart's content, here are the easiest ways to do just that:
To learn more about what else is on the way for the future of Destiny 2, you can check out the latest blog post right here.