Leslie Benzies, who worked on the majority of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, left Rockstar in January of 2016 after a lengthy and mysterious absence. The departure left fans with a lot of questions and it looks like we might be getting some of those answers now.
In a statement released by Benzies’ legal team said:
“While on sabbatical, Mr. Benzies discovered numerous deceptions on the part of Take-Two, Rockstar, Rockstar North Ltd, Sam Houser and Dan Houser, who sought to force him out of the company and terminate his portion of royalty payments based upon arbitrary actions by the company’s royalty Allocation Committee, a committee that may or may not have actually ever met.”
Benzies and his legal team believe that he is owed $150 million in unpaid royalties. The statement also paints his leaving of Rockstar North as a particularly messy breakup, even to the point of not being allowed into the building and then being asked to leave by management.
Rockstar and their parent company Take-Two Interactive have issued a counter suit. They claim that Benzie left the company in April of 2015 and without “Good Reason” which would exclude him from receiving any royalties. Their statement mention that Benzies asked for royalties several times before publicly leaving the company.
Rockstar has become one of the largest game companies of the past few decades and Benzies was there for the majority of it. His leaving on this note has the potential to paint either party in a very negative light in the future depending on who the courts and fans side with.
