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British developer and publisher Chucklefish responded to a series of allegations that she exploited volunteers during the development of Starbound.
The studio, which has also developed Wargroove and published Stardew Valley, was initially accused of benefitting from the volunteers of the old dev Damon Reece, who claimed to work "hundreds of hours" on Starbound without being paid a "single cent."
"I started my game developer career by working on Starbound for almost two years. I was sixteen, "tweeted Reece, credited as the game's writer.
"I have worked hundreds of hours and I have not been paid a dime for that, while the company was making incredible money with my work and that of one." dozens of other unpaid workers. "
These requests were supported by others Starbound including devs Rho Watson and Christine Crossley, they also explained that they were working "at least one hundred hours of work" without any compensation, and that anyone who asked for compensation "would be shouted".
After a few days of silence on the radio, Chucklefish finally forwarded his own version of events in a statement sent to PC Gamer, claiming he was "saddened" by the allegations.
"We are aware and saddened by the current allegations against Chucklefish regarding From Starbound early development, "wrote the studio. Meanwhile, the main team and community contributors were collaborating via a discussion forum and spending their time for free. Community contributors were under no obligation to create content, meet deadlines or set a specific number of hours. Everyone has been credited or paid according to their agreement.
"It's been almost a decade since From Starbound the development began and from that moment Chucklefish has evolved considerably to become an independent studio with a strong focus on good work practices, providing a welcoming environment for all employees and freelancers. Our doors remain open to all related parties who wish to discuss their concerns directly with us. "
Although Reece admits signing a contract, they explained that everyone had to do it in order to work on Starboundand that Chucklefish encouraged the volunteers to sign the carrot of a possible future job. Reece also claims that, although official deadlines were not set, they were "heavily involved".
"Regardless of the contracts signed, it is extremely unethical to allow workers to contribute huge amounts of unpaid content when you, the alleged leader of the team, recoup millions of dollars in personal income, "Reece told PC Gamer.
"If your game sells for over two and a half million copies and your only excuse for not treating people ethically is", but the dozens of teenagers we've exploited the work of signed contracts ", you may need to do an examination of conscience."
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