Today's report in The Guardian paints an unfortunate picture of Rocksteady's corporate culture: in 2018, more than half of the women who work at the studio were subjected to misogynistic signed a letter describing a pattern of harassment, including molestation, unwanted advances, "slurs about the [transgender] community," and inappropriate comments in the office.

According to press reports, the company attempted to remedy this with a one-hour seminar, but one of the letter's signatories (anonymous) gave the Guardian a letter claiming that the culture at Rocksteady has not changed over the years. The signer pointed to Rocksteady's work as an indication of the awareness of the problems that exist within the studio.

She referred to the hypersexualized design of women in Arkham Games, notably Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. These comments revived a debate that occurred around the launch of "Arkham City" in which critics highlighted the gendered insult of male NPCs to Catwoman; Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton took up a few choice phrases, but for years the Internet No one sums up the debate better than Film Crit Hulk, who has been vocal about his sensible opinions on the Internet for years.

The Guardian's inquiry apparently triggered a moment of introspection on Rocksteady's part.

In response to the Guardian article, Rocksteady issued the following comment: "In the two years since then, we have listened carefully to and learned from our employees, and in 2020 we are more passionate than ever about continuing to develop an inclusive culture, and for all our staff We are determined to stand up for it."

A storm is brewing at Ubisoft, with many top executives being ousted from the company over claims of sexual misconduct. While comments that gaming is having a #MeToo moment seem reductive, publicizing such concerns should encourage other developers and publishers to hold themselves accountable in 2020, knowing that not everything that happens within a studio stays within the studio It is.