Rebellion Studios, the developer responsible for Aliens vs. Predator, is apparently having serious money troubles. The Derby, England division of Rebellion had laid off almost the entirety of its staff, leaving only a handful counting down the days until they two are told to go home. When that day finally passed, those remaining few were reportedly told to leave without the wages they were owed. That includes all wages for the month of April, and any redundancy payments for April that were previously agreed upon.

Here's a quote from a former Rebellion employee:

"What I understand from the guys left in Derby -- there are about 5 of them, I think -- is that they were told to go home, still with no explanation of what was happening with the money they are owed. Come pay day, after clearing the office, the [affected staff] didn't get the wages for April's pay, and those due redundancy money that month didn't get it either."

The wife of another former employee added this:

"They seem to be claiming that as Rebellion Derby is registered as a separate legal entity, and it's not currently making money, that [there is] no money to pay their remaining [staff]. The feeling amongst those who have been left is that it looks like they will be putting the studio into liquidation in order to get out of paying the packages that they have agreed."

All in all, this a very sad situation for all of those involved. While we can all hope that the employees that were let go will receive their back-pay, it would appear that Rebellion is completely in the right to declare the Derby studio bankrupt and avoid the situation completely.

What I can do, is say that these sort of actions do effect my purchasing decisions. In the end, I don't believe Rebellion is working back towards profitability by not paying its employees.

What do you think, Ranters? Is this an acceptable business practice? How about when you consider the moral aspects of the situations?

Source: 1up