Rockstar Games, maker of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto series, has issued a statement dismissing a lawsuit filed by its former creative lead Leslie Benzies for being "bizarre".
Benzies, who played a key role in the creation of the Grand Theft Auto series until GTA V, launched at $150 million lawsuit against Rockstar Games. According to The Guardian, the petitioner was encouraged to take a sabbatical leave only to discover that co-founders Dan and Sam Houser were conspiring to terminate him from the company. Benzies added that the Houser siblings, along with Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive, owe him for unpaid royalties.
"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," Rockstar said in a statement. "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."
Polygon reported that Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games had filed an earlier lawsuit against Leslie Benzies for breach of contract. The companies contend that Benzies left the company without good reason and thus disqualified him from the pre- and post-termination royalties he was promised under the his contract's compensation plan.
According to court documents, however, it was indicated that Leslie Benzies is among the "Rockstar Principals" together with the Houser siblings. It is Benzies' contention that as principal, he is entitled to payouts equivalent to those of the Houser, Mashable reported.
Benzies was the producer and creative director of Rockstar's multimillion-worth Grand Theft Auto series since 1999. He also served as the president of Edinburgh-based Rockstar North, where much of the development of the Grand Theft Auto series was done.
