Former Rockstar Head Sues Rockstar; Rockstar Counter-Sues

Based on "Unpaid Royalties" Claim, Among Other Things

By Bryan Smith on April 12, 2016 at 6:49pm

As reported by Polygon, former Rockstar North head Leslie Benzies will be suing Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive for $150 million in unpaid royalties.

What started off as what looked like a sabbatical leave for Benzies, reports claim that Rockstar tried to use "deceptions" to get Benzies out of his position. The sabbatical was in September 2014, shortly after Benzies left the company in January 2015. Benzies also claims that he tried to get back into work after the sabbatical but he was denied getting in (as in getting into the system for his company via key).

Rockstar, in turn, has filed a counter-suit to go against Benzies' suit. They also released an official statement:

Benzies, however, continues to demand parity with respect to pre-termination royalty payments and post-termination royalty payments. The parties to this action have sought unsuccessfully to resolve this issue through mediation and now seek judicial clarification that would resolve this controversy.

Leslie Benzies was a valued employee of our company for many years. Sadly, the events that culminated in his resignation ultimately stem from his significant performance and conduct issues. Despite our repeated efforts to address and resolve these issues amicably both before and after his departure, Leslie has chosen to take this route in an attempt to set aside contract terms to which he previously agreed on multiple occasions.

His claims are entirely without merit and in many instances downright bizarre, and we are very confident this matter will be resolved in our favor. A core ethos since Rockstar's inception has been the concept of 'the team.' It is deeply disappointing and simply wrong for Leslie to attempt to take personal credit for what has always been the tremendous efforts of the entire Rockstar team, who remain hard at work delivering the most immersive and engaging entertainment experiences we can for our fans.

Rockstar released the counter-suit to Polygon if you wish to see the official statement and documentation.